


Fire and Lightning

by dtlucario



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, Crushed Rinnegan / No Rinnegan AU, F/F, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-29 16:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12089163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dtlucario/pseuds/dtlucario
Summary: A sealer awoke amidst the slaughter of her people and sacrificed herself to seal her children into a scroll. With a second chance at life, they work hard as Ninja in honour of her memory. However, unseen powers gather in the shadows aiming to tear the Ninja world apart and our protagonists step forward to face the oncoming darkness. Multiple OC Insert. AU.





	1. A Girl and her Tiger

** Fire and Lightning **

Chapter 1 – A Girl and her Tiger

Screams and bloody murder.

A woman awakes. Her son runs into the bedroom clutching her daughter's hand. Their fearful silence and terrified gazes are almost enough to drown out the cries filling the night.

She leaps out of bed, and draws a knife from beneath her pillow.

A glance out the window serves only to fill her with nausea; the streets are flooded with the blood of the people she had once known. Friends, family, acquaintances, and rivals. None of that matters to her now; her children are all she sees looking down at them.

She faces a choice – challenge the enemy out there, as is her duty as a Ninja, or save her children.

In the end, it’s not really a choice.

She does not have the luxury of time. Whatever demon is out there could be at her door at any moment. She can almost feel their breath on her neck.

The process of sealing can take hours, if not days. She has a sparse few minutes at most. She never let her children into her sealing room before, but now is no time for rules. She will save them at any cost.

She begs their silence and they obey, sensing her fear. She can brook no distraction.

In an instant she has a scroll laid out before her and a brush in hand. Her hand moves faster than it has ever moved before as she begins to draw the pattern that will save their lives.

Letters, symbols, patterns within patterns. The seal grows in size until at last it covers the entire scroll in an intricate, indecipherable and somehow beautiful design.

She wipes the tears from her daughter’s eyes and sings to her, even as the pattern reaches out and takes her into the scroll to safety.

To her son, she imparts as much as she can. She apologises over and over, and at the very moment that the scroll takes him, she leaves a kiss on his forehead.

She can only hope that her knowledge will be enough to keep them safe.

She rolls up the scroll and places it into a secret drawer. She has done all that she can for them and now her focus changes. Out there is a murderer. A madman or a demon, whose blade runs red with all she loves.

She walks down the stairs, throwing a robe over her bedclothes and takes several kunai in hand. Opening the door, she steps out into the moon’s light.

She never sees the dawn.

But her children do.

In the morning, they are released from the scroll and found by those scouring the area. They are told at what cost their survival has come, and are left to find their way in the world.

Together, they intend to change the world.

 

**/~X~\**

 

Shirane placed the bouquet of white carnations at her mother’s resting place. It was a small tombstone, but better than most – for many who had died that day had been interred in pauper’s graves.

She had seen and heard too much the day her mother had died, and it sent a deep pain through her – even now, three years on.

Shirane was a slight young girl – the sort of small child who never seems to run out of energy. She was quick and gymnastic, with the flexibility of the cats she loved so much. Her hair was as white as snow, and cut about her neck in the proper manner – a Kunoichi should have short hair, after all.

It was strange, then, to see a girl who was usually so full of life and energy being so sombre and quiet.

Apart from the flowers, she was also carrying a baby tiger with her. Quite what a girl her age would be doing with a baby tiger remained to be seen.

It had to be a summoning animal – no animal from this world could look quite like that after all: its fur was a snow white, and there were red markings in lieu of stripes. Despite its youth, it had an almost divine appearance.

A prayer left her lips. Today was her mother's birthday. Her older brother, Gekido, had reminded her of that fact. It was to Shirane's immense shame that she had never learned such things while her mother was alive.

But she remembered now.

“I'll be a Genin soon, mum,” she spoke out, hoping the spirit of her mother would hear. “I'm working extra hard at the academy, so keep watching! I'll make you proud.”

There was nothing else for her to say. Her brother would visit when he came back from his mission.

“Are you okay, Shirane?”

She didn’t answer right away; she was still trying to hide how close she was to tears.

It had been the tiger that had asked and while most would have been surprised, Shirane had often heard his voice before.

“It's okay, Torabi. I will not be sad. I'm going to be the best Kunoichi that there ever was,” she told him at first gently, then with conviction.

She stayed silent for a few seconds more, hoping that her words would reach her mother somehow. Then she turned and walked.

Her footsteps were as silent as the two bells in her hair as she bounced off.

It didn’t take her long to smile again  – her brother was away on mission, so she had the house to herself, and that meant that she could eat whatever she wanted!

Sure, he had left her all sorts of everything in the fridge, but she had a very different idea of what she wanted tonight.

That meant shopping! She could not keep being miserable when there was the prospect of shopping on the horizon, what wonders a little retail therapy did for the soul.

“Can I have fish?” Torabi asked, giving Shirane one of those looks that only kittens were capable of.

“You always have fish!” Shirane replied, puffing out her cheeks. “Why don't you have something different, something else that you like?”

“I like fish,” was Torabi's simple reply, to which Shirane could only sigh, letting out the air she had been storing.

The market was busy – it was Sunday, and the merchants were in town. There would be a lot of different foreign food from other nations.

Boiled sweets from the Land of Waterfalls, meat pastries from the Land of Rain, and fish from the Land of Rivers. For some reason fish had stopped coming from the Land of Waves, but that was fine by Shirane. Freshwater fish were always cheaper, though perhaps smaller.

With the spoils all wrapped up in brown paper packages, Shirane skipped back home with Torabi by her side.

By now, she was used to coming home to a dark and empty house. Her brother was a Chuunin and was often on missions but he always left a little money whenever he went away. 'For emergencies,' he always warned her.

Well, she would be a Ninja soon as well, so he could just consider it a loan – she would be able to pay him back tenfold then.

The house was exactly how her brother had left it. A small, two-bedroomed apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom as well as the front room.

Of course, her brother wasn’t the type to relax and the front room had been taken over by a workshop – the tools he used to make his bow and arrows were hanging up on the wall alongside his unfinished models.

There were also their mother’s books.

Sealing. It was a difficult subject with a steep learning curve, and the books they had found were only a small part of their mother's former collection – meant for masters of the art, not beginners. The rest had burned.

They intended to learn it inside and out, for their mother's sake. It would be a shame to let everything that she had worked so hard to learn go to waste.

The house was flooded with light now – Shirane having flung the curtains open – and she set about cooking for herself.

After that, training.

She would always train whenever she had spare time. Her brother tried to dissuade her, to get her to play and have fun with girls her own age. Just because she spent every spare hour honing her skills did not mean that she was obsessed.

She had tried to associate with the girls in her class, but they seemed like a whole other species to her. They were obsessed with makeup and flowers and for some ungodly reason, Sasuke. The only exceptions were Hinata – who was too shy to have a meaningful conversation with – and Shirane herself.

No, Shirane had higher aspirations than fretting about whether or not she looked pretty.

She would be the greatest Kunoichi that the world had ever seen.

But in the meantime, she had a pie to bake.

Her brother was the chef in the family, and though he had tried to teach Shirane, she just could not grasp that subtle art.

She knew enough to throw a pie in the oven, however, and did so with ease, setting the heat to medium and waiting for a moment until she was sure that the gas had been lit.

“Please may I have my fish now, Mistress?” Torabi spoke, looking up at her from the kitchen floor.

“Only if you stop calling me Mistress and start calling me Shirane,” she replied, puffing out her cheeks once more. Would it kill the tiger to treat her as an equal rather than a superior? She certainly did not feel like a Mistress.

“Eh? I couldn't do that! It'd be super rude for me to say Mistress' name so casually,” Torabi replied in surprise.

“What if I told you that I would find being called by my name _less_ rude than being called Mistress? It makes me sound like an old lady!” Shirane said, the very idea making her feel annoyed.

“If that's what you'd like Mist– I mean... Shirane? Gosh that feels strange to say. May I have my fish now, please?”

“Very well,” Shirane replied, still not entirely convinced that he had gotten the point. She was not about to renege on a deal, however, and she took the fish out of its wrappings.

Torabi snatched the fish the very moment that it left her hands and jumped straight into his bed, happily playing with his meal.

She left the pie – it would be a while before it was ready – and went back into the living room.

Her brother always left some half finished project on his workshop and today was no different. Shirane studied the arrows he had left behind. It seemed he was experimenting with writing seals onto the shafts so that they would have different effects when they hit their target.

It seemed he had attempted to make exploding arrows by writing an explosive seal on the shaft. Certainly, the seal work he had used to make it was circular, with too much between the start and the end point. If he had wanted to delay the explosion then there were patterns to allow just that. It was just shoddy. She hoped that he hadn’t taken such work on his mission.

She left it alone, however, as her brother liked to fix his own mistakes. How else was he supposed to learn? She could not go around cleaning up _all_ of his messes. Still, the horrible syntax of the seal made her cringe and she would have to make her own seal later just to ease the sour taste it left in her mouth.

She was at a loss now of what to do; she was too full of energy to relax but she couldn’t go and train it off. If her pie burned, she would have no–one to blame but herself and that would upset her to no end.

She turned her energy to tidying up. There were wood shavings on the floor and scratch marks on the walls where Torabi had sharpened his claws. Getting wood clippings out of the carpet was difficult, but it kept her occupied just long enough for her egg timer to go off.

Torabi had long since eaten his fish and bounced up beside her, as she sat down with her meal.

“Are we going to train again after this?” Torabi asked as they settled down.

“Of course! My exam is tomorrow so I have to make sure I pass. I keep telling you, Torabi, I'm going to to be the best Kunoichi that there ever was,” she told him, her voice full of confidence. There was no way she would be caught out after all her hard work.

“You could stand to be a little less serious, you know,” Torabi chided her, the effect of it lessened due to the fact that he was a fluffy little tiger kitten.

“You sound just like big brother,” Shirane told him in a huff. “I want to train hard and work hard. Can't I have aspirations?”

Her childish anger could only last so long – who could be upset with a little ball of fluff by their side?

The pie was excellent, even more so once she'd smothered it with gravy. The salted meat and crust blended together in a flavour that sent a wave of warmth through her body. She let out a sigh of pleasure.

“Wouldn't you like to have pie every chance you could get?” Torabi asked her, still going on about the fish thing.

“No, because if I ate pie every day I would be the size of the Hokage monument and what's more I would get bored of it. We humans say that absence makes the heart grow fonder,” she chided him. Despite this, she could not keep her hand away and continued to tickle him behind the ear.

Her big brother told her that she spoiled Torabi too much. Shirane replied by telling him that he and his tiger fought too much. It hadn't been exactly the sturdiest of arguments but it had put him on the back foot long enough to rush off before he could recover.

Her meal was finished far too fast and she was sad to see nothing but a few crumbs and the occasional splatter of gravy left over. Not for long: she licked the plate clean immediately.

Still, it had filled her up and that was the beauty of pie. It always left her feeling full and satisfied, no matter what.

She let Torabi stay in the room, lest she be tempted to splash him with water as she washed up her plate. Let it never be said that Shirane was a messy child.

"Torabi, we're going out now," she called to him by way of preparation, pouring the soapy water down the drain and drying off her hands on the kitchen towel close by.

She wanted her brother to come home to a nice and clean home. He worked hard – incredibly hard – so that they wouldn’t have to go hungry.

As she had expected, Torabi was waiting for her and she smiled at him as she unlocked the door. She tested the intrusion seals that were placed there to make sure that any attempt on their property would be immediately thwarted. Not that she expected it, really. Thieves never prospered, and that saying was doubly true in a Ninja village where everyone knew the punishments for thieves were harsh.

But now was not the time to think about that; now was the time for training. She would let her meal settle while she walked to the training grounds, but once she got there she would be going all out.

Her Genin exam the following morning weighed on her mind. She was short and thin and no matter how hard she tried, muscle definition just seemed to evade her – Taijutsu, then, was not her style.

Instead, she had learned as much as an academy student was allowed to learn about the art of Genjutsu. There was no reason for her to focus only on her weaknesses in other areas.

There would be the written test of course, but Shirane felt she could pass that with relative ease. Still, she would go to bed early tonight. She would not allow her confidence to become arrogance. She could see _certain_ others falling to such vice, but she could not allow it of herself.

She was sure of the abilities she had and that was what made her confident now.

She had grabbed some kunai on the way out. They were going to train for everything that she expected to be on the test. She would do the three main Academy Jutsu, make sure that her Taijutsu form was at the very least serviceable and work on her aim.

She also hoped to gather some herbs and flowers – the girls had spent the last few years being taught about plant and she believed that would be on the test as well.

Finally, Genjutsu. This was a matter of personal pride. She had been studying the arcane art ever since her brother had mentioned it to her in that off hand manner of his.

She didn’t want to _show off_ , exactly, but it could not possibly hurt her chances to show that she had gone the extra mile. She had learned something on her own and with her own initiative.

"You're not going to put a spell on me again, are you?" Torabi asked, worry in his eyes.

"It's not a spell, it's Genjutsu. And I'm sorry but I can only know that it's working if I use it on someone who can talk to me. I promise to be more gentle this time. Besides, who is it that tests his new Lightning Jutsu on me every time he learns one just because it makes my hair go poof?" she added, placing her hands on her hips.

"Come on, Shirane, it was just the once," Torabi replied with a whine in his voice.

"Well it doesn't matter, we will be saving that till last. I need to work on my transformation, I'm not entirely sure that I'm doing it right."

For the next part of the evening she went through the Ninjutsu that the Academy teachers had beat into the student’s heads over and over again.

The Transformation, Substitution and Clone techniques. These three ancient arts were said to be the first Ninjutsu ever created and were widely regarded as the most basic techniques available to Ninja.

Transformation first. She focussed on the image of the Hokage in her mind and molded her Chakra around herself, forcing it to take his form.

“Does it look right?” She asked Torabi, her girlish voice dissonant with the appearance of the elderly Hokage.

“As far as I can see,” the tiger replied, looking her over to see if she’d made any mistakes.

She nodded and allowed the transformation to fade as she let out a breath of air. She found that doing breathing exercises helped her with her Ninjutsu.

The Clone technique was next in line and she had never had problems with it at all. Still, it it never hurt to make sure that one was properly prepared.

She focussed her mind and rose her hands in front of her face, allowing her Chakra to take her image and copy it. The she pushed that Chakra outwards, making a perfect copy of herself. Of course, it was an illusion, a distraction at best.

She looked the clone over. It was like looking into a mirror. The clone was just like her, it had the same short white hair and childish round face. It had her sharp, black eyes and healthy complexion, as well as her gymnast’s body. As always, she had made a perfect clone.

It dispersed into thin air as she turned her focus towards the final technique. Substitution. It had been the technique that she had been most thrilled to learn. To replace oneself with a log to avoid attacks? It was a useful and amazing technique.

Now just to perform it.

“Well then, might as well do this properly,” she said, reaching out to do her stretches once more. “Okay Torabi, hit me.”

“Eh?!” Torabi cried out. He had been sat watching her with a grumpy look on his face; it had been too long since she petted him. “Why do you want me to do that?”

“I need to practice the Substitution technique, and to do that, I need someone to attack me. At least this way, I won’t feel bad for putting a Genjutsu on you.”

“If you’re sure,” Torabi said, standing up and walking to face her.

The tigers had all sorts of ways of fighting. They were creatures of war, once even revered as warrior spirits. Torabi was only a child, and he didn’t have much to work with, but he didn’t intend to hurt Shirane. Well, not much anyway.

Sparks danced over his body as he gathered the pure electrical energy that the tigers had in lieu of Chakra. He wiggled his behind and then pounced.  
  
Shirane had seen it coming and yet the Substitution did not come and Torabi hit her in the stomach.

“Shirane?!” Torabi gasped as Shirane doubled over, the sharp shock having sent a wave of pain through her.

“Again,” she demanded angrily.

“But-”

“Again!”

In all, it took another three tries for her to pull the technique off, and then another three for her to accept that she had the technique down. She would do this perfectly or not at all.

Nursing an aching stomach, she moved onto the target practice. She had a sharp eye but, unlike her brother, she had a weak throwing arm and her strength let her down. Still, she managed to get five kunai to stick in the eight point ring – the one right outside bulls eye – by the end of the session and felt suitably proud of herself, as well as ready to move on.

There wasn't much she could do to prepare for the written test out here. Torabi might be a mean little kitten in a fight but he wasn’t exactly all there when it came to general knowledge and history. Well, at least he played to his strengths.

Instead, she worked on gathering herbs and plants. There were not many, as any Ninja worth their salt had already ripped most of the plants that were worth anything out of the ground and had planted them in their own personal gardens.

Still, she was pleased to find and identify some Blueroot Shilwist. It was not the most potent poison – an annoyer at best that loosened an enemy's bowels and made them feel the wrath of what they had eaten. She would not be using it herself – at least, not at the moment – she was in no rush to make enemies and as far as she was aware she had not made any yet.

Of course, she had not really made any friends either, but that was beside the point.

"Genjutsu time, Torabi," she trilled, smiling at him with the same smile she had given her brother after he had eaten all her boiled sweets.

"Is there no way I can convince you not to do this?" he begged.

"Nope. Come on, it'll be over in a flash and you know how to get out of it now. I just need to get this right before tomorrow," Shirane wheedled. She did not technically need his permission but it would not feel right to force it on him out of nowhere.

"Fine, but I hope you know what you're doing this time," Torabi replied in an impetuous tone.

Shirane could not help but roll her eyes. For a kitten who had been calling her Mistress for so long, he could be very disobedient.

She untied one of the bells from her hair – a cardinal sin had anyone else attempted it – and gave it a single tap.

In the chime that echoed out were whispers of her Chakra – gentle and insidious, that creeped into Torabi's mind and changed his very thoughts.

She didn't want him to see something outlandish, nor did she want him to know pain – instead she lulled him gently to sleep.

Oh, he fought, of course. He battled to stay awake for as long as he was able, but his ears were sensitive and it would be harder for him to stop the sound piercing him than it would be to stop looking at her eyes or hands.

She had many bells on her person: there were two in her hair as well as four smaller ones at the hem of her skirt. Most assumed they were ornamental – how else could a girl so bouncy move about so quietly when she had literal bells tied to her?

But they were real and the high-pitched tone was perfect for hiding a suggestion in. The sound was gentle and soothing, too – exactly what she needed.

It was no wonder that Torabi called this magic. It was so very different from the Ninjutsu that the Tigers and her brother both threw about as though it were nothing.

She would not be launching lighting bolts like that for a long time – perhaps not ever. Her small body was unlikely to be a great reservoir of Chakra and unless puberty hit her like an Earth Jutsu, that wasn't ever likely to change.

That did not matter to her. She did not care about being flashy anyway, and she was almost certain that she could achieve ten times as much with Sealing. If only there were someone in the village to learn from.

That was neither here nor there – her Genjutsu had done its job and Torabi was curled up in a ball like... well... a kitten, a purring snore leaving his mouth. She always found that cats made the funniest shapes when they laid down. Her brother compared them to loaves of bread and she could not help but agree.

Shirane picked him up gently and carried him close to her chest, stroking him with her fingers as she returned to the high street. The sun was lowering and the horizon began to bleed orange as the Sun Goddess stumbled clumsily to her sleep.

She would have to wait a little longer – the shops usually were open from dawn until dusk, and she needed a new set of kunai and shuriken. The ones that the academy provided for the test were bound to be old, crooked and bent after years of constant abuse.

No, she wanted to be sure in her tools, especially when they could be the deciding factor between whether or not she became a Genin.

She knew precisely where to go.

Tenten was the closest she had to a friend. Unfortunately, a year had separated them at the academy, and now that Tenten was a fully fledged Genin their free time very rarely matched up.

"Hello Tenten," she called out as she entered the store. Tenten, like her father, was a blacksmith as well as a Ninja. A person couldn't have such a strong affinity for weapons without having crafted a few.

"Hello Shirane, it sounds like this isn't just a social call," she said, popping up from behind the counter. Whatever she had been doing back there, Shirane would never know.

"I'm afraid not, Tenten, I need to stock up for the exams; a couple of kunai and shuriken from the finest smiths in the town will do. Which is of course why I'm popping over to Makar's after we've had this chat," Shirane joked. Tenten likely knew it to be a joke as well but still responded with the customary one finger salute and a mouthed profanity.

"I should have known that you were only here to love me and leave me," Tenten replied with a mocking shake of her head as she finally put her middle finger away.

"Whatever could you be implying?" Shirane replied, turning the innocence in her voice up to eleven.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"Mean."

Tenten rolled her eyes and tapped the counter. "Are you buying or what?"

"Fine, fine," Shirane grumbled. "A full set of kunai and shuriken. I want to be sure that I hit my mark tomorrow."

"You better pass with flying colours, and what's more you better flaunt the fact that it was my tools that got you to Genin. You'd obviously be _totally_ lost without them," Tenten said with a devious smile.

Shirane shook her head with a sigh. She had already planned on doing so but Tenten didn't need to know that.

"If I remember – and that's only an _if_ – I'll tell all my classmates exactly how good your tools are," Shirane told her, altering her tone in that subtle way that bordered the line between a joke and an insult.

"Now who's mean? Come on, shell up – we'll be closing soon."

Shirane was tempted to throw the money at Tenten but reeled herself in and placed the coins gently on the counter. She’d nearly squeezed her wallet dry now and would have to make do with whatever had been left in the fridge, but it was fine. She didn't regret anything she'd done today.

"Right, right," Tenten mumbled, counting the coins. She wasn't exactly suspicious, it was simply that if her she was caught having forgotten to count the change by her father then the shouting would be heard three blocks away.

"Here you are then," she said brightly, presenting Shirane with a set of kunai and shuriken.

"Thanks Tenten, I didn't mean it; I'll make sure that everyone knows who's the best smith in town," Shirane told her, just in case she had crossed a line.

Tenten waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, really. I'm glad to help. Come round for tea some time, okay?"

"I will try my best, Tenten, thank you," Shirane said with a smile, waving goodbye. It was only now, after the noise and jostling, as Shirane exited the shop, that Torabi awoke.

"Mmmm? What time is it?" He asked, pawing at his eyes.

"It has only been ten minutes or so," Shirane told him in a quiet voice as she petted his head.

"Did you have to put me to sleep? If I can't sleep tonight, it's your fault and I'll wake you up," he told her, trying to mimic his elder's growls.

"Don't you dare," Shirane said, looking down at him with a piercing gaze. "It is my test tomorrow and if you wake me up I shall tie you in a box and post you to my brother."

Shirane was very rarely so serious and her death–glare made her threat all too real to him. He bowed his head and mumbled an apology, incapable of responding to her anger.

"That's better, now come along and let’s get home before it’s too dark to see," Shirane spoke, resuming her petting to show him that no harm had been done and that he was welcome to go back to being his usual self.

It didn't take long to get back. There was no point turning on the lights; she would be going to bed once she had her affairs in order.

She had kunai, shuriken and was modestly confident that she would be able to pass the written and practical sections of the test. So long as she slept and was alert she'd be ready.

Ready to become a Genin.

As she changed into her fluffy bedclothes and set a clean blanket over Torabi's bed, she considered her goals: to surpass her mother as a great sealer, and to be the greatest Kunoichi that there ever was. Maybe she should add Hokage to that list? It was a tempting idea, to sweep the position from under Naruto's over–eager feet, but she wasn't interested.

The idea had merit of course, but she wanted freedom. The Hokage had to be both a Ninja and a politician, dealing with the Fire Daimyo and all the wants and needs of the clans, as well as the Civilian Workers' Unions. It was a surprise that the current Hokage hadn't pawned the position off on someone else after all this time.

Still, she couldn't help but imagine the look on Naruto's face if she became the first ever Kunoichi Hokage and beat him to it. The image alone made her laugh.

Still giggling uncontrollably, she tucked herself into bed and with a wide, silly smile, fell asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~dtlucario  
> A special thank you to everyone on the /r/narutofanfiction Discord channel for all of your help and advice. Without their guiding hand and the rivals I have there to sprint against, this may never have been written... so blame them.
> 
> I hope you keep reading.
> 
> Fire and Lightning is a fan written piece of fiction intended only to entertain and amuse. I do not own Naruto, or any of the copyrights associated with it. Those rights belong to Kishimoto and his associates. Please support the official release.
> 
> Original characters and plots are of my own creation and therefore my intellectual property. Please ask before using them.


	2. To Make a Friend

Chapter 2 – To Make a Friend

Shirane woke at dawn.

The sun’s new light broke through her curtains and she greeted it with a smile. She was a morning person through and through.

She got up straight away and made her bed, fluffing up her pillow and straightening the sheets. There was no need to be messy, after all. A clean bedroom is a clean mind, or so the saying goes.

Today, Shirane would wear something different, something a little more in line with the image of a proper Ninja. She wanted to make the best impression possible on her tutors.

To that end, she threw on a loose white Kimono with a vest and short shorts underneath, keeping it tight around her waist with a thin belt rather than a sash. The bells were put back in her hair, however; for they would be instrumental in her getting a better score today.

On her way downstairs, she walked straight past the mirror, trying to avoid looking at her fluffy white hair. She hated the colour; it made her look about fifty years old. When she had money of her own, she could buy Ninja-strength hair dye and turn it a more acceptable colour.

In the meantime, she had to make sure that she had everything ready. Of course, she had done so the night before, but it bore repeating. What if there was something that she had forgotten?

Torabi would be let to sleep as long as he could – it was her fault that he was out like a log and she didn't want to be cruel to the poor little thing.

Once she got downstairs, she did her morning stretches, touching her toes and bending her body every which way until she was satisfied that she had gotten all of the kinks out.

Then, making doubly sure that she was doing so silently, she went down to the kitchen and made herself breakfast. Not for the first time, she wished that her brother was home. He'd be able to cook her sausages, bacon, and eggs. Instead, porridge was her breakfast. At least that would give her the raw energy that she needed.

There was no sugar in the household. Not any more. So she had to use honey to flavour the warm oats. There was no way that she'd be able to stomach them plain.

Shirane looked at the clock and found that she'd been too careful. She still had an hour before she could realistically set off for the academy and even then she would be early.

That was the problem with being a morning person: she was so often ready before most were even close to being awake.

Take Torabi, for example. If Shirane prodded him awake now, she would hear no end of his whining.

There was no point to cleaning up either; she had gotten the place more or less sparkling last night and she had not made much of a mess making porridge either.

In the end, Shirane decided, to spend some of her time studying.

It was a last resort and she would much rather go out to the dew-laced fields and train, but if she did that then she would lose track of time and end up being late. No way was she making that mistake.

She opened her books and got to reading. What would they put on the test? History, maths, written language. Maybe a bit of code and code breaking. For the girls there would likely be poison and herb based questions too. Really, how come the girls had to do more work?

Shirane was just reading up on the formation of the Hidden Leaf when the clock chimed quarter-to. Well, she had left him as long as she was willing. She was waking Torabi up whether he liked it or not.

She closed the book, put it back on the shelf and marched straight upstairs.  
With all of her strength, she threw the door open, fully intent on shouting Torabi awake. However the air left her slowly as she found him right there waiting for her.

He yawned widely, showing off the teeth that could one day bite through solid metal.

"Morning Mist- I mean, good morning Shirane."

Shirane let the slip-up go, he was obviously still tired, so it could be forgiven... for now.

She scooped him up off the ground and remembered fondly the times when he very nearly fit in her palm. One day he'd be much bigger. There were tigers that were as large and as tall as horses.

But for now, he was tiny and cute and fluffy, and she couldn't help but nuzzle him – feeling his soft fur against her cheek.

"Wah! S-stop it Shirane, I'll remember not to call you Mistress, I swear," he protested, flailing as she squished him against her cheek.

"I can't help it, you're just too fluffy. Who's a pretty kitty? Who is the prettiest kitty there is?" Shirane knew that she was patronising him but she just couldn't help it.

"Noooooooooo..." He let out in a low whine, forced to put up with it as she got her fill of his fluffiness.

"Okay, I'll stop, I'll stop," Shirane said as his claws came out instinctively. "Come on, we've got class to go to."

It was not like he had much choice, once Shirane had him in her arms, she would not let go until she wanted to.

No-one had intruded in the night – as always – and thus, the intrusion seals needed no re-calibrations as she left, locking the door behind her.

Shirane cursed herself as she started her walk to school, for Tenten's shop was on the way and she could have used the time to pop in and take her up on that offer of tea.

It was far too late now, but at least she knew what she could do later. Provided she was ever in the village at the same time as Tenten, and they weren't both too tired for it.

She set off at her usual bouncing pace along the street, keeping her mind off of such thoughts by counting her steps against the cobbled road.

Her impatience meant that she now found herself sitting alone in the classroom. She was always early however, and she knew how to make use of her time.

It was for this reason that she had brought one of her mother's books with her. The hefty sealing book was bound in leather with a thin piece of cloth built in as a bookmark.

Shirane didn't dare attempt anything in the book; it was all far too complicated. While she some experience with using seals from her own dabbling, the level of mastery required to understand even one passage of her mother's notes…

There was no comparison. It might as well have been written in another language, some undiscovered runes from a bygone age, but there was more to it than that.

It came out of nowhere, as if a demon had latched onto her and forced her to know again her deepest pain;

_There is no room to breathe, it is dark and tight, like a vice grip around her chest. She feels the seconds pass as if they were a weight on her body. Hunger, thirst and the crushing, lonely darkness..._

_But her mother's song soothes, a gentle melody that tickles her ears. Yet she's still afraid, hungry and thirsty. Her mother is gone, and she’s never coming back._

She had to shake her head for a moment to clear her head. These flashes didn't come as often and hard as they used to, but she still dreamed about them. Her brother still had to come to her room in the dead of night; had to cradle her and whisper comfort in her ear until she fells asleep again. She knew that she wasn't ready for anything that could be in that book. It was too dangerous.

Shirane read through it nonetheless. If she ever hoped to come close to her mother’s skill, she would need to understand it one day. Perhaps if she read through the whole book again, a flash of inspiration would strike her? It was worth trying.

With her mind occupied, it was not long until she was joined by her classmates. Sasuke was early as well, and slouched into his seat at her right. He sat down heavily and let out a sigh, steeling himself for another day.  
She gave him a customary greeting and received little more than a grunt in return. He was in a good mood, then. She wasn’t fond of his attitude. Sure he had his reasons, but it didn’t mean he had to act like that towards everyone around him.

Plus, Torabi was wary of him and Shirane trusted his instincts. The ball of fluff was currently curled up at her left hand and would likely stay that way for the rest of the day. Sasuke wouldn't bother him and if anyone else so much as touched him... well, they would be in for a shock.

Soon after Sasuke came the rabble; the faces and names that all melted into each other. Just because she attended the same class with them all each day didn't mean she remembered their names.

There were two more faces that Shirane was forced to remember, however. For Naruto and Sakura were so loud that they all but forced the entire class to notice them.

Shirane put her book down, her temper slowly rising.

“Hey, Sasuke,” she whispered. “Do you get some sort of sick pleasure out of this?”

He turned to her and gave her a bemused look that could only be translated as:  
'What do you think?'

“Want to swap seats with me, then? It might get them to shut up,” Shirane suggested. Anything for a quiet life.

Sasuke gave her another look, this one a pleading glance that could only be translated as:  
'Please!'

Somehow, both Naruto and Sakura managed to be ignorant of the fact that Sasuke and Shirane were shuffling places right before class began. Others noticed, however, and Shirane could not help but feel embarrassed as a light chuckle rose from the room.

"Fine! You want to sit next to that jerk so bad, you can," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms.

Sakura sat down, a misguided look of pride on her face that dissolved near immediately when she realised that Shirane was in Sasuke’s place.

Shirane tried her hardest to hide the evil little smile. Naruto and Sasuke, she could bear to be around - if only just - but Sakura seemed to have no redeeming qualities. Well, she in Shirane’s mind, and perhaps in some others as well.

“You’re sitting in Sasuke’s seat,” Sakura said, a hint of anger entering her voice.

“You’re sitting in Naruto’s seat,” Shirane replied. She’d been listening to Sakura’s schtick for far too long and was ready to tell Sakura exactly what she thought of her.

Another laugh. Academy students were a little bit too easily amused.

“I should be sat next to-” Sakura began.

“Sakura, it’s a bloody seating position, why do you care so much?” Shirane burst out. The anger had come upon her in a flash, Sakura’s voice bringing Shirane to a boil.

“Well, I just-”

“Nobody cares! Least of all Sasuke! You’re just as annoying as Naruto to him, to me and to everyone here. Have you listened to yourself?” Shirane said, her pique rising.

“That’s… I’m not annoying…” Sakura replied, her voice faltering.

“You bloody well are, Sakura,” Shirane told her in no uncertain terms. “You burst in every morning only to yell at Naruto to give you his seat. Every. Bloody. Morning. It’s ridiculous.”

“Sasuke doesn’t complain,” Sakura said, hope entering her tone at the thought.

“I don’t think Sasuke would complain if a Night-Ghast came and sat down next to him. If you hadn’t noticed, that’s the sort of person he is.” Shirane told her, shooting her down again immediately.

There had to be some good in Sakura. Perhaps she was misguided, or obsessed and that was clouding her true potential but Shirane had spent too long listening to the girl glorify Sasuke as a God and all but shout at anyone else she spoke to.

Shirane hadn’t intended to even go this far, but once she started talking, it became remarkably hard to stop.

“So get up! Go on. Because I think I would much rather sit next to Naruto than you, and he doesn’t even wash right, but _you_ make me feel ill,” Shirane said.

“Hey, I wash! I just train in the morning, that’s all,” Naruto explained with an incensed tone.

“Then wash after training,” Shirane told him with slight exasperation.

Naruto, at least, had the sense not to argue with the angry little girl.

Sakura, it seemed, had taken enough. She stood rather violently, her hair covering her eyes in shadow, fists clenched hard enough to crush stone.

Instead of swapping seats with Naruto, she took her bag and left the classroom immediately, the door swinging violently as she went. Had it been Shirane’s imagination or was she crying?

"It’s just a seat, why does she get so worked up about it?" Shirane said to no-one in particular, trying to shake of a feeling of guilt as Naruto took his seat back.

Shirane would not be receiving an answer - at least, not for a while - as that was when their Sensei appeared at his desk in a flurry of leaves. What would have been a messy way to enter, was immediately shown to be a trick as the leaves dissolved into nothing.

"Good morning, class," he called out to the class, his voice full of an energy that barely befit a teacher.

"Good morning, Iruka-Sensei!" The class called back as one.

"As you all know, today is the day of your Genin examinations. I hope that you are all prepared."

Beside Shirane, Naruto was sweating heavily - shaking even - a look of near pain on his face.

Shirane recalled their last tutoring session with Iruka; the time when Naruto had attempted to do the Transformation technique. She had thought that he had been playing around, joking even, playing the class clown as ever. His face now told a different story.

"The exam will be in two sections; the written portion and the practical portion. You will be using all that you have learned over the course of your time at the academy. Do your very best; I'm counting on all of you to become excellent Shinobi of the leaf."

That was Iruka; he believed in each and every one of them, and truly wanted to see them all go far.

"We will be moving to the examination hall in ten minutes time. In the meantime, prepare yourselves," he told them, before leaving the classroom in a far more ordinary manner.

The class immediately burst into fervent chatter as all spoke their nervousness to their friends and acquaintances.

Shirane, for once, was no different.

"Naruto, what's up? You're shaking like a leaf," she asked him directly.

"Nothing! I'll pass this test, you'll see. I'll pass and you know what? Once I've passed I'll be on my way to Hokage," Naruto told her, his voice full of steel and his hands were clenched by his sides. He shook no longer, a fire burned in his eyes.

"If you're sure..." Shirane said, frowning. Her thoughts on the matter were cut off. She almost jumped in fright when she felt a prod from her side.

To her surprise, it had been Sasuke. However it was no miracle, as he simply let out a grunt and pointed squarely at Torabi, whom Shirnae had left lying there when they had swapped seats.

Gingerly, she picked up Torabi and lay him down in her lap. What could he do in the exam? Maybe she would just have to leave him to sleep by a radiator until she could come and collect him. The thought of just leaving him there alone sickened her, however and she resolved to keep him in her lap. There could be no problem with that, surely.

"Alright class. Time for your written test. You all have your seat numbers, yes? Come on then." Iruka told them.

It was time to see if everything that Shirane had worked on was going to pay off. There was no going back now.

 

/~X~\

 

Shirane sighed deeply as she exited the exam hall, her brush still clutched tightly in her hand. She had done her best and there was nothing else to say on the matter.

Between the two exams, there was a short break. Just half an hour for them to stretch and make sure that they were ready for the practical test.

Shirane clutched Torabi to her chest. He had managed to sleep through the entire exam and still snored gently in her arms. No wonder he had so much energy the rest of the time when he slept for so long.

She was no longer worried for herself. The written exam had been much easier than what she had been preparing for and she could not help but imagine the same of the practical portion.

No, she was worried for someone else entirely.

Naruto wasn't particularly interesting. He wasn't smart, she didn't find his jokes or his attitude funny and she certainly wasn't impressed by him.

But she couldn't get that image out of her head.

His whole body tense with fear, everything he had worked for on the line. Goodness knows what must have been going through his head.

For what reason the other children avoided him, she didn't know. She just found him loud, obnoxious and frankly, he could do with a bath.

None of that was a good reason to withhold help.

Besides, she needed to balance out the bad karma she'd earned from making Sakura run off crying.

 

He was on the swing.

He was always on the swing when they came out here.

"Naruto?" Shirane asked, trying to catch his gaze.

"Huh?" Naruto said, looking up as she approached. "Oh, it's you."

"Charming," Shirane said with a blank tone. "You really weren't just messing around, were you? You really can't do the Transformation technique."

A shadow passed over the young boy's eyes and he clutched the ropes of the swing harder than ever.

"I... I told you! Nothing's going to stop me. I’ll pass this test, and I will become Hokage. I'll show you. I'll show Sasuke. You'll see!" He exclaimed in an outburst. Once again, his fierce blue eyes pierced Shirane with a gaze that was full of heat.

“Okay, okay! No need to shout,” Shirane winced, covering ears.

"Well sorry! You came over here to make fun of me, didn't you," Naruto said, glaring at her in defiance.

Caught off guard by this aside, Shirane frowned at him, "...What?"

Naruto glare didn't abate, "You know, like how you snapped at Sakura-chan and made her cry. Why'd you have to do that? Sure, she wanted to sit next to the bastard but you didn't need to be such a bitc-"

She cut him off , her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Why is everyone so bloody fixated on seating placements!?"

She crossed her arms, and fumed to herself. She hadn't meant to be that mean to Sakura but seriously, it was just a seat. She chose to ignore the little voice in her head that chided her for being such a bitch about it.

Naruto looked like he was about to continue but she shook her head in frustration.

“I came over to try and help, idiot!” Shirane said, cutting him off.

Naruto seemed surprised for a moment, but then he frowned and clasped his chin in thought. It wasn't a look that Shirane had seen on his face before.

A few moments passed and he looked at her directly, still with a frown on his face, his feet scuffing the dirt.

"Well... I guess I need the help." He said.

Shirane smiled and gave him a smug nod with her nose upturned. "Well, there we go then."

He fidgeted a bit as if unsure but then he glared and pointed squarely at her. "But don't think that just because I'm accepting your help, that I've forgiven you for being mean to Sakura!"

Shirane rolled her eyes but carried on regardless. Even after all that, she still wanted to help him.

“I think I know what you might be doing wrong,” She explained.

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked, tipping his head like a little child.

"Well it’s just, you know... Maybe it was just me, but it looked like you were using way too much Chakra that time. I mean, I saw your Chakra swirling around you when you used the Transformation technique. I’m pretty sure that means you’re using way too much," Shirane said with a thoughtful tone.

It was true; she remembered when Naruto had done the techniques in front of the whole class. Back then, she had been sure he was doing it on purpose - putting too much Chakra into his techniques so that they came out all funny looking.

"Eh?! But Mizuki-Sensei told me I should try using more Chakra," Naruto cried out in disbelief.

"That's what they tell all the kids, Naruto. Maybe he was busy? Quick, give it a try. We do not have much time left," Shirane told him, her tone becoming hurried as she realised how little time they had.

"Ah, right," Naruto said, hopping down off of the swing.

He performed the technique with a look of pure concentration on his face. This time, there was no oppressive feeling of pressure, no swirling light of Chakra around him.

He had chosen the form of Iruka, and it was very nearly perfect. He had only gotten the skin tone wrong, making the man a pasty, sickly white.

"That's great, Naruto," Shirane said, clapping her hands together. "In the test, try to go just the tiniest bit lower."

"It's great? Really?" Naruto asked, breathing as if he had just sprinted a hundred meters.

"Yeah. You know what? I think I'm starting to believe you. You're going to pass, Naruto. You can do it," Shirane told him with a nod.

Why? Why was this feeling rising in her? Shirane would not have helped anyone else. Well, maybe her brother but that was a moot point. Why Naruto? Why did she feel compelled to help him?

Because nobody else had.

The thought had come out of nowhere but it was true. Shirane could not have been the only one who saw that all Naruto needed was a gentle push in the right direction. He was self motivated like that. Put him on the right path and he'd plow right down it at full speed. it was almost impressive.

She had helped him because he needed help. That was all.

Besides, seeing Naruto's honest smile, as bright as the sun... It just felt good to help people.

Her brother was right, she needed to make more friends. Why not start with Naruto?

It seemed that today was the day for having thoughts cut off as the bell rang out, signalling that it was time for them to return to the classroom.

They would be called in one by one at random to be tested on their skills. This was it. The last barrier between her and the coveted Ninja headband that she had desired so deeply.

Maybe her dreams weren't as lofty as Naruto's, but that didn't mean she wasn't serious.

Shirane would be the greatest Kunoichi and the greatest sealing master that the Leaf had ever seen.

"Next; Shirane. Will you please join us in the examination hall?" Iruka's voice called from over the P.A system.

Shirane prodded Torabi awake. He'd been asleep long enough and she would need his help now.

"Come on sleepy. We've got work to do."

"Five more minutes?"

"Fat chance."

She let him walk beside her and walked confidently back into the examination hall.

"Welcome, Shirane," Iruka smiled, preparing his clipboard. "This is an examination of your practical skills in Ninjutsu and we will be primarily be examining your skill in the three Academy techniques that you have learned throughout your time here."

"First, if you would please show us your Substitution technique," Mizuki spoke, his voice rather bored. Well, he would be saying that for the rest of the hour and doing little else. She couldn't exactly blame him.

Shirane put her hands together and focused deeply but she hit a snag; for she had forgotten to practice substitution when she was not in a situation of danger. Well, she could not allow herself any regrets now.

With a burst of white smoke, she disappeared and was replaced by a log of wood.

Shirane could not relax now, however, for she was not out of the woods yet.

"Very well, the clone technique, if you would be so inclined, yes?" The third instructor - whose name always escaped Shirane's memory - asked, his voice cracking slightly.

She nodded and ran through the signs again. She had to get this right. She did not have a lot of Chakra to be working with and she wanted to show them her Genjutsu so badly it hurt.

That thought in mind, her clone came out slightly paler than it should have. She had no-one to blame but herself for that. She had panicked and used less Chakra than she ought to have.

"Hmm, okay. Lastly, I'd like you to transform into Mizuki, please," Iruka told her with a smile.

"Right," Shirane said, focussing once more. Just one more technique and everything would be decided.

She studied Mizuki's face and body type and then made the hand signs.

"I see, very well," Iruka spoke as Shirane returned to normal.

"Sensei, I've been working on Genjutsu in my spare time. If it's okay with you, I'd like to exhibit what I have learned," Shirane spoke, bowing her head.

"It isn't entirely necessary, young Shirane, looking at your results-" Mizuki began, clearly eager to get this over and done with.

"Please, Sensei, I've been working hard on it. I'd really like to show you what I can do now," Shirane begged.

"I see no harm in it. The longer we argue, the more she'll ask, Mizuki. It can't hurt. Go on then, Shirane. I would like to see what you have learned," Iruka told her, that big old smile on his face.

Shirane nodded and in that movement, the bells in her hair rang. Their gentle tone hid the same suggestion she had used on Torabi, a sleeping Genjutsu that used her Chakra to lull a person to into the land of dreams.

Mizuki went out like a light, while the third instructor fought valiantly against it, his eyes drooping.

"Release," Iruka spoke clearly, his voice and Chakra overpowering Shirane's Genjutsu.

Immediately, Mizuki awoke and the other instructor shook off the drowsiness. Shirane's spell had been broken.

"Incredible. Using sound to transmit your Genjutsu. I'm very impressed, Shirane. It's obvious that you have taken your training seriously. In light of that, as well as your results on both your written and practical tests, we have no choice but to tell you - Shirane - that you have passed. You are now recognised as a Ninja of the Leaf."

Shirane very nearly broke down into tears as she was presented with the Leaf headband as well as a copy of her results. It was with a voice full of emotion that she bowed to them.

"Thank you Sensei. I will do my best to make each of you proud. I promise."

With that, she left them behind and walked back out into the hallway, her heart in her throat and a grin on her face.

"So, how come you woke me up?" Torabi asked as they walked back to class.

"Oh! Sorry Torabi, I was going to show them what you could do as well. I'm sorry, I forgot," Shirane told him, petting his head by way of apology.

"I'm glad you got to watch though. I made it. I’m a Genin now, and you are coming with me," she added with a grin.

As Shirane cuddled a struggling Torabi up to her chest, Naruto walked by, his fists clenched tight by his side.

"Naruto!" She called out. "You can do it!"

He turned his gaze to her, and gave her a big old thumbs up with a great big toothy grin.

Shirane almost felt proud of herself.

Now if only she hadn't been a massive bitch to Sakura, she might even be in a net positive for once, rather than just neutral.

Still, she felt good enough with herself to wrap the Leaf headband around her neck and march proudly to her seat in the classroom.

"The test's that easy, huh?" Sasuke spoke as Shirane sat down.

Sasuke spoke.

_Sasuke spoke?!_

Shirane was almost too stunned to realise the light insult he had thrown her way.

"Hey, I've been training all weekend, I'll have you know!" She replied, feeling a little defensive. "But hey... Since you're talking, I didn't go too far with Sakura, did I?"

He shrugged. "You told her more or less what I was thinking. Don't dwell on it, she wouldn't have made a good Ninja."

Cruel, but true. Shirane had seen her brother come home with cuts all over and he even had a large scar across his back where he had been struck by a sword. The hospitals were full of Ninja who had been hurt in a thousand ways doing their job. There was even a woman who had been in a coma since the last Great Ninja War due to her injuries. According to the doctors, she had been a child when she fell. If she ever woke, she would wake up as an adult.

It was hard to imagine Sakura in a world like that. Especially if she couldn't handle what Shirane had said.

"The test's not that bad. You've probably got more Chakra than I have so you'll probably be fine. I only really slipped up once," Shirane told him.

He replied with a monosyllabic sound and order was returned to the universe.

But not peace.

For at that moment, the door burst open and stood at it with a grin that shone with the power of a thousand LEDs was Naruto.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, and I am the man who is going to become Hokage!" He declared at the top of his lungs, pointing steadily upwards at the headband that was displayed in pride of place.

Shirane sat back in her chair, with a small, secret smile as Torabi covered his ears.

It was good to help people be happy. Even if that person was smelly, obnoxious old Naruto.

"Next - Uchiha Sasuke. Would you please come to the exam hall? Thank you,"

As Sasuke got ready to leave, Shirane couldn't help but say something to him. She'd been sat next to him all year, it had to count for something, right?

"I would wish you luck, but I am pretty sure you don't need it, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he left but... was that a smile? Maybe making friends wouldn't be so hard after all.

"I thought you didn’t like Sasuke?" Naruto asked, confused by the girl - something he would later learn was nothing unusual.

"I wasn't fond of you either until today. I guess I was just looking at everyone's bad points. He is grumpy and all dark and stuff and you are loud and you do not wash right. But you are both determined in your own ways. I guess I understand that," Shirane told him with a shrug.

Shirane would sleep on the decision, but if she still felt the same way tomorrow, then she'd gather the rest of the money her brother had left her and take them out for a meal. Then they would just have to be her friends.

That was how it worked, right?

The end of the day came in a hazy fog of victory. Shirane had spent much of the rest of the day with one hand in Torabi's fur and the other leafing through her mother's book, pausing only to give a halfhearted congratulation to an ungrateful Sasuke.

"Naruto, may I speak with you?" Mizuki asked. He was smiling, but it did not reach his eyes. No, his eyes were filled with a murderous anger that sent a chill down Shirane's spine.

Something was wrong about this. She could feel it, even as Mizuki lead Naruto away.

Her legs started moving on their own, in spite of all the weird looks that she was receiving. Something was going to happen. Something bad.

Even though they were barely friends, she could not bare the thought of something bad happening to Naruto before she could befriend him.

Shirane followed them carefully, using her silent footsteps to her advantage. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she was eavesdropping, but her heart told her otherwise.

"... Have been chosen for a special mission. If you succeed, you'll be put on the fast track and given training that only the most elite Ninja receive. Isn't that exciting?" Mizuki's voice spoke from within a classroom.

"What do I need to do, Sensei?" Naruto replied, the excitement obvious in his voice.

"There is a special scroll in the Hokage's library, called the Scroll of Seals. You must sneak past the guards, and the Hokage himself to retrieve it. You will bring the Scroll to this location-”

Here Shirane cursed the fortunes that she was not blessed with the Byakugan eyes. To be able to see what Mizuki was showing Naruto would have been an immense help.

"You will then proceed to learn a single technique from this scroll before midnight. Complete this and you will be on your way to becoming the strongest Ninja in the Leaf."

Shirane's heart dropped. The Scroll of Seals was a forbidden scroll, full of dangerous techniques and seals that had been hidden away in the Hokage's archive so that none could use their dark power. Her brother had once prevented an attempted theft on the scroll, however the perpetrator had managed to flee. It was this way that she knew of the scroll.

Could that thief have been Mizuki?

"Torabi, we have to tell someone," Shirane whispered fervently, turning to run.

However, someone was in her way.

"Seems like you've heard too much, Shirane," Mizuki spoke, a look of pure hatred melting his face like wax.

It had to be a clone. There was no other way that Mizuki could be in two places at once. Therefore, she had nothing to fear - clones were illusions. He couldn't hurt her.

With that in mind, she bolted. However, she had been wrong. This was no basic clone.

The side of Mizuki's hand struck her neck before she even made two paces, and she fell to the ground as her world went dark.

 

/~X~\

 

When she woke up, it was cold and dark. Mizuki had tied her up and put heavy duty tape over her mouth. Just to be absolutely sure, he had tied her into a bag and thrown Torabi in there with her.

A pair of kittens in a sack. The imagery was not lost on her and she began to panic as she imagined the sack filling up slowly with water until-

“So you’re awake, are you?” Mizuki’s voice came from outside, and even with the material of the sack separating them, he sent shivers of fear through her.

“You better stay still, or I’ll teach you what a Ninja means when they say torture.”

Shirane froze still as the words sank into her skin like a fell wind. This was no game, no training. Mizuki had gone off the deep end and was holding her captive.

She had to concentrate. Mizuki had not killed her immediately, which meant that he needed her alive - at least for now. Torabi had been knocked out too and she didn't dare shake him in case Mizuki had done more damage to him than what was apparent.

Concentrate. She had to learn what she could about her surroundings. It was night time, or at least evening. The air had cooled down and the creatures of the night were beginning to make noises. This led her to her second observation; they were outside, likely hidden in the woodland of the Leaf. Mizuki was nearby; Shirane could hear his breathing. He was unhinged, shifting his weight this way and that as if he couldn't get comfortable.

There had to be something Shirane could do. She had to think. Was there any weakness that Mizuki had that she could exploit? Torabi shifted in her hands and looked up at her. Thankfully it seemed he knew to be silent in this situation and Shirane implored him to stay thus with a single glance. Mizuki had not tied him up, nor had he gagged the tiger. Mizuki had already made one mistake that they could take advantage. Surely there must be more?

They must be miles away from civilization so making noise would not help them at all. Wait... Sound...

The exam played through in her mind, pointing out the one weakness that she knew Mizuki had.

Mizuki was weak to Genjutsu.

Shirane knew what she had to do.

She shook her head violently, letting the bells in her hair ring out into the night. With desperation, she filled every note with insidious Chakra.

She was rewarded with a dull thud as Mizuki fell beside her.

"Torabi, go to the Hokage. Go, as fast as you can. Tell him everything. Tell him it's not Naruto's fault. Go! Quickly!" She begged him.

"But-"

"Go!"

He needed no further persuasion and squeezed himself through the tiny gap at the top of the bag. Like all kittens, he was capable of pushing himself through the most remarkably tight spaces.

Torabi was gone, and not a moment too soon, as Mizuki stirred beside her.

"You little nothing," Mizuki swore, lashing out with a kick. "If you try something like that again, I might just decide you're not worth keeping hostage after all."

Shirane wanted to cry as her body burned with pain but she held it in. Torabi wouldn't let her down. She had to be strong. Mizuki was just a madman, and Shirane was the girl who would one day be the greatest Kunoichi in the Leaf.

Midnight came too slowly. Shirane had dressed for the unremitting heat of the Fire Country's sun and was now shivering in the midnight air. Sacks, it transpired, did nothing to conserve heat.

Shirane had faced worse. She had seen deeper darkness and had known solitude worse than this. She would endure. She had to keep thinking. Mizuki was prepared for Genjutsu now. He might even have stuffed something into his ears to keep the sound out.

They were moving now, Mizuki had to be going to meet Naruto. Why hadn't he just taken the scroll straight away? Why would he have Naruto read it? She couldn't understand.

Then again, Mizuki was clearly insane. There was no point attempting to penetrate his logic.

"I did it, Sensei! I learned a technique from the scroll. I got past the Hokage, and everything!" Naruto shouted as Mizuki approached him.

Now how had he managed that? Never mind. If she got out of this, she could ask him herself. She needed to tell him that this was a trap.

"Now, hand over that scroll please, Naruto," Mizuki spoke.

Shirane was too late! No, she could still warn him... She spat on the adhesive in front of her mouth, sucking it in, trying to get purchase on it with her teeth.

"Say, what's in that sack, Sensei?" Naruto asked. Oh Naruto! Brilliant, amazing Naruto! He very well may have bought the time she needed.

"I caught a deer in the forest. I was going to cook it to save money. Maybe we can share some later. For now, please give me that scroll," Mizuki said, his voice straining.

"Run Naruto! It's a trap, he wants to steal the scroll. Run!" Shirane screamed as loud as she was able, forcing her voice to its loudest until it cracked.

Mizuki swore and threw Shirane hard against a tree, forcing a cry to escape her aching throat.

"Scum like you should learn to keep quiet," he growled, his voice dropping an octave, before his attention turned back to Naruto.

"It's true Naruto. I wanted you to be my scapegoat. You would have taken all of the blame, and do you know why? Do you want to know why everyone hates you?"

As Mizuki spoke, Shirane struggled against her bonds and the pain. Her bones hadn't been broken by the impact. More importantly, she had felt the ropes loosen.

She had to help. No-one, not even that idiot in orange, deserved to face a madman alone.

"It is because you, Naruto, are the very reincarnation of the Nine Tailed Beast. You are the demon that killed our families, you are the beast that tore the Leaf apart. That's why Naruto. That's why."

"He's lying! Naruto, he's gone insane! Run! Naruto, please, you have to run!" Shirane screamed as she struggled against her bonds.

"Be quiet!" Mizuki roared, flinging a Kunai at the sack.

Shirane let out a sob as the white hot metal pierced her stomach, but she did not stop talking, even as she felt her blood running across her skin.

"Run!" She called out to him, over and over again - begging him to flee.

"No... No! I won't run! And I won't let you hurt my friend any more!" Naruto shouted to the world, gearing up for an assault on the mad Ninja who had hurt Shirane.

"Fine words Naruto," the Hokage's voice filled the air, as clear as crystal and as calm as the night. "We of the Leaf do not turn our back when our comrades are in need.

Shirane let the tears fall. Everything was okay now. The Hokage was here.

"Mizuki, you are under arrest under suspicion of theft, conspiracy to commit theft, and the willful harming of a Ninja of the Leaf. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on during your tribunal. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Prick."

By the time that Shirane was released from her bonds, the Ninja police had already taken Mizuki away. The only ones there were the Hokage, Naruto, Iruka and the Medic who was tending to Shirane's wound.

"You did well," the Hokage told her. "It's a shame that all of this happened so soon after the Genin exams."

Naruto was bragging to Iruka. It seemed that the technique that he had learned was a Clone technique, something he had previously struggled with.

"Where's Torabi? The little tiger I sent?" Shirane asked the Hokage hoarsely.

"He exhausted himself on his way to me, but he’s fine. He's resting with my secretary so she'll get him back to you." The Hokage spoke, looking up at the stars.

“Thank you, sir,” Shirane managed, nursing her throat.

“Our medic will escort you home. Your actions today will not be forgotten. Now, if you will please excuse me, there are some matters that I must discuss with Naruto,” the Hokage told her, a rare smile gracing his lips as he left her with the medic.

She nodded and stood up, nursing her stomach, watching as Naruto was walked away by the Hokage.

"Hey Naruto! I better see you tomorrow!" Shirane called out to him, using what remained of her voice as she was lead back home by the medic. She would regret it tomorrow, but then again perhaps not.

Naruto nodded and gave her one final toothy grin before the Hokage lead him away.

If making friends hurt this much - Shirane decided - then she would be happy with just the one.

 

/~X~\

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes;  
> 5500 words in five hours. Does it show? In any case, I'm glad you've enjoyed my story enough to read the second chapter and I hope you will continue reading. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> I will say right now – Shirane will not be shipped with Naruto or Sasuke. She's just a lonely kid who wants friends. She doesn't understand shippy stuff yet.
> 
> This fic is going to get more and more AU as we go in, and you're going to be seeing some of the interesting changes soon.
> 
> Will Shirane succeed in making friends with both Naruto and Sasuke? Just what kind of Ninja is he older Brother?
> 
> All this and more, next time on Fire and Lightning.


	3. Friends and Enemies

Chapter 3 – Friends and Enemies

The sun was shining.

During the summer, rain rarely came to the Hidden Leaf, but when it rained: it _really_ rained.

It would have sucked majorly if Shirane had decided to make friends on the one day that the Gods decided to give water to the thirsty land. Thankfully, the sun burned high in the sky as usual.

Now if only she had paid attention to the people around her at the academy, she might have some idea of where to start looking.

First, however, she had to collect Torabi. The Hokage had told her that the kitten was with his secretary, which meant that he was probably living it up in the Hokage building, having the time of his life.

To kill two birds with one stone, Shirane had already had her picture taken; that way she could have her Ninja license created at the same time. Genius!

Once again, she had gotten up early and if anyone had gotten to the Hokage before her, she would eat cold porridge. Of course, that statement might include the Hokage himself and she would be in a right old pickle if she managed to get there before he did.

Nevertheless, Shirane had already set off skipping down the road and she saw no reason to stop now.

Perhaps she should have been concentrating more, but in a manner quite unfitting of her status as a Genin, she skipped headlong into an unassuming young man and knocked herself to the ground with the impact.

“Are you quite alright?” The young man asked, his body silhouetted by the sun, his voice full of concern.

Shirane took his offered hand and stood steadily.

The stranger was a teenage boy with choppy brown hair, green eyes and a tall, confident stature. His travelling robes had fallen open, revealing his white shirt and his work-hardened arms. On his left was a deep red tattoo of a scorpion.

“I am sorry, sir,” Shirane spoke, her voice still cracking and croaking from the night before.

“Wow, I really did a number on you, huh?” The young man chuckled with a merry tone.

“No!” Shirane spoke out, flustered, before she broke down into a coughing fit.

“I wrecked my voice last night.” She told him once she had cleared her throat.

“Well, I should apologise, too. My name is Yoichi. What were you rushing about for?” He asked her in a tone that implied that he too had been rushing.

“I am Shirane and I am going to use today to the fullest. I am going to make some people be my friends,” Shirane explained to him.

The young man let out a barking laugh and patted Shirane's head. “Is that so? Well, I'd better let you be then, hadn't I?”

He plucked an apple from his pocket, a bright fresh apple that was as red as could be, and handed it to her.

As he turned to go, Shirane called out to him, “Wait! You should be my friend as well!”

The boy stopped for a moment, and then waved her goodbye with a smile before he walked out of sight.

It seemed that making friends would not be so easy.

What had she been rushing for, again?

Oh, right! Torabi!

She had her photo all ready so there really was nothing stopping her from going to the Hokage building to finally get everything sorted out.

The Hokage building was as imposing as it always was. It was the central nervous system of the Ninja system in the village, and was therefore one of the most robust buildings in the Leaf.

Now, if Shirane were Torabi, where would she be hiding?

Oh who was she kidding, he was most likely napping in a corner somewhere.

Maybe the Hokage knew something?

Shirane made her way up into the Hokage's office, passing the multitude of aides who flitted this way and that, each of them doing their part to make sure that the Ninja system worked as flawlessly as possible, bringing in as much revenue to the Leaf and ensuring it was best used to further the village's development. She stepped through the door and stopped still.

For there was Torabi.

Laid out in the Hokage's hat.

Shirane let out a gasp and ran into the room, blushing as she scooped Torabi out from the symbol of the Hokage's power.

"Torabi, how could you?" She whispered frightfully to him. Oh, he was going to get _such_ the telling off when he woke up.

"That's a very interesting pet you have there," the Hokage's voice came gently from the other end of the room. There he stood by a bookcase, his wizened old hands picking over the scrolls as if he were looking for something.

"If you please, sir, he is not my pet. He is my partner! His name is Torabi," Shirane explained carefully, scared that she had upset the Hokage with Torabi's rudeness.

"Ah yes, forgive my presumptuousness. He is a summoning animal, isn't he? The summoning of the tigers..." he spoke, his voice trailing off as he found the scroll that he had been looking for.

"My Lord, I must apologise for his behaviour," Shirane said, bowing deeply.

The old lord of Ninja frowned as he passed her and sat down on a tatami mat before her.

"Whatever are you apologising for?" He asked, his voice and tone as gentle as the summer breeze.

"Your hat, sir-"

"Oh! My hat," the Hokage said with a chuckle. "You needn't worry, just between you and me, I have several. I loaned your adorable little friend this one as I had no other bed to offer him. But my, does he sleep. I hope you're not working him too hard?"

"No sir, I would not ask him to push himself beyond his limits," Shirane said quickly.

"Very well, very well. Now, you're not here just for the pleasantries. How about we get your Ninja identification set up? Do you have a picture?" The Hokage told her, laying the scroll out between them.

"Yes sir, here," Shirane spoke, handing over the picture that had been taken of her.

"Let's see? Ah yes, our photographer is something of an artist, he has caught you quite well in the morning light, it seems," the Hokage said, applying the picture to the scroll.

"I would not know sir, I am no connoisseur of photography," Shirane said as she regarded the photo with contempt. She thanked the stars that it would be the last time she was required to have her picture taken.

"One does not need to be a connoisseur to know that cake tastes sweet," he said. Shirane wondered if he had a proverb for every occasion.

He handed her a small, laminated card that carried her name and a photo.

"This is your Ninja Identification. Keep it in a safe place, and do try not to lose it. I'm afraid we will have to charge you for us to make another,” he told her as she hid it away.

"I will keep it safe sir, thank you. I want to thank you for looking after Torabi as well. I am sorry for any inconvenience he caused you," Shirane said. She gave the Hokage one final bow and turned to leave.

“He was no inconvenience at all. May you ever have the Will of Fire burning within you," the Hokage replied, waving her off.

Shirane left the Hokage building, her cheeks still burning red with embarrassment. The Hokage might not have been angry with Torabi, but she sure was.

"Hmm? Shirane? Aww, I was having this beautiful dream..." Torabi sighed as he stretched his feline body out in her arms.

Steam seemed to rise off of Shirane's face. Any onlookers would be forgiven for imagining that she was about to explode. However, all that energy went nowhere as she realised she could not fault his actions at all. At this point she was just being angry for anger's sake. She let it out in a sigh and patted Torabi's head gently.

"I am sure you were. Now are you going to help me look for Naruto, or are you going to just carry on catnapping?" Shirane said as she stepped silently onto the street.

The day had truly begun and the roads were beginning to fill as merchants, civilians and Ninja alike bustled together. Shirane now felt a glow of pride deep in her chest that she could now count herself among the Ninja forces that helped keep the village safe and secure.

"Shirane!" A familiar voice floated down the road to Shirane, and she turned to find Tenten running towards her. "I thought it was you."

"Tenten," Shirane replied with a bright smile. "It is good to see you. Have you got time for that tea?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I have a mission today and I'm out preparing. I just saw you and thought I'd come over and say hello. Sorry," Tenten spoke as her face fell along with the atmosphere.

"It is okay, I thought something like this might happen. We will have to do it some time though. We are going to have that tea together, whether the Gods want us to or not," Shirane said to her with a smile.

"Don't you go tempting fate, now. If you say that then it'll never happen. Any way, I just wanted to say congrats on you becoming a Ninja and all that. Don't think you're out of the woods just yet though," Tenten told her with a wink.

"Alright, thank you for the warning. Good luck on your mission," Shirane said and waved goodbye.

"Hey Tenten!” Shirane shouted after her. “Are we friends?"

"Of course!" Tenten shouted as she ran. "What, did you think we weren't or something?”

Shirane could not help but smile as she watched Tenten fly off into the crowd. So Tenten really did consider her a friend.

"I'm your friend too, Shirane," Torabi piped up.

"Yeah, I guess I had more friends than I thought. Sorry for not thinking about you, Torabi," she said, scratching him behind the ears.

Tenten and Torabi. She really did have some good friends. However, she still wanted to see Naruto and Sasuke. There had been something there, she had felt it. She was not going to sit in the background on her own anymore.

It took her quite some time to find Naruto's house and she could not help but swallow as she reached it.

Naruto was the boy who came into class reeking of sweat and cup ramen. What kind of state would his home be in?

"You don't look too sure about this, Shirane, are you sure this is a good idea?" Torabi asked her.

"I have come this far, have I not? There is no going back now. Especially after all that happened yesterday," Shirane replied, though it sounded as if she were trying to convince herself rather than the tiger cub clutched to her chest.

She reached out to the door and gave it a good hard knock with a steady rhythm. Naruto had to have heard that.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Naruto's muffled voice came from inside as the sound of clattering and crashing came from within.

Naruto came to the door looking like he had just waded through a landfill. His clothes were dirty and unwashed, as if he had been wearing them for quite some time, and he had most certainly not yet had a shower.

"Good lord, Naruto," Shirane swore as she pinched her nose and moved her head to try and get as far away from the scent as she could.

"If I knew you were coming..." Naruto said, his body in the way as he tried his level best to keep her from seeing into his house.

"That does not excuse this at all, Naruto," Shirane told him as she craned her neck to get a look at what lay past him.

"So uh, what are you doing here, anyway?" Naruto said as he tried to block her view casually.

Shirane shrugged at the question. "I just thought I should come and make sure that you were alright, after Mizuki and all that."

"Oh! I'm doing great, you think something like that would get me down? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the man who will one day be Hokage. If gramps hadn't turned up then I'd have knocked Mizuki's block off." Naruto grinned. He brushed his finger under his nose as he spoke as an insult to the defeated madman.

"I am sure you would have, Naruto, but what is all this? Do you not clean your apartment?" Shirane asked him as she pushed past and inspected his hallway.

"H-hey!" Naruto let out as she pushed past. "It's not that bad."

"It really is," Shirane told him. She looked down the hallway, for even here there were rubbish bags piled into the corners, and the wooden floor looked as if it had never met the brush.

"Surely you can not like living like this?" She asked him in earnest.

"Of course I don't, I just... I spend a lot of time training, y'know? I train, I eat, I sleep. I just forget to leave time for cleaning..." Naruto told her as he looked sheepishly at his feet.

Shirane couldn't blame him for that, really; a strange girl had burst into his house and had started criticising his life choices.

Why not treat cleaning as if it were training? Like, see how fast you can take all this rubbish to the tip or scrub all the surfaces. Anything that makes you sweat is training, thus saith my big brother," Shirane explained. She had left Torabi outside, his poor nose would not forgive her for making him sit in Naruto's house while it was in this state.

"I never thought of that," Naruto mumbled. He was shuffling about nervously, clearly unused to people invading his home.

"I tell you what, you go get a wash and I will get started. I can not very well sit idly by knowing that one of my friends is living like _this_ ," Shirane spoke, while she secretly wondered where she might start.

"You're my friend?" Naruto asked.

"Of course I am, now away with you. We are going to sort your house out, come hell or high water," Shirane told him.

Naruto took Shirane's instruction immediately and vacated to his bathroom. It must have been strange for him, but Shirane felt dirty just standing in the doorway. If Naruto spent much longer living in a home like this then he would end up getting very sick. She could not have that on her conscience.

She began to clean up by clearing out the black rubbish bags, each of which seemed to be filled to the brim with cup-ramen pots. What was she going to do with this boy? Had no-one taught him how to take care of himself? Even if he were an orphan, there should have been someone at the academy who could have given him the life advice he needed.

His breakfast was still on the table and.... Good spirits! How out of date was that milk?

Thank the spirits that he had not had the chance to eat it. He would have regretted it later, almost certainly.

It was a good thing that Shirane was here to help out! Into the trash the milk went, along with the spoiled breakfast. She'd have to take him to hers and get him something proper to eat. Especially if he was as fond of cup-ramen as he appeared to be.

Up and down Naruto's tiny apartment she went, doing what she could to cut through the top layer of grime that his home had accumulated. She would not allow him to live like this.

"Torabi," Shirane called out of the door. "Fetch me a packet of the food that brother left for me, please."

"Right you are, Shirane," he replied, taking off with a surprising burst of speed.

Was she perhaps going too far? Did friends do this sort of thing for one another? It didn't matter to her. Now that she had seen the damage, she was intent on fixing it.

By the time that Naruto had gotten out of the shower, she had cut through quite a bit of the mess that he had accumulated. He looked around in shock at the effect that she had given his home.

"Wow, it's..." Naruto spoke, aghast.

"Clean? I have not even started, and I am not just going to do it all for you. Like I said, you have to think of it like training. Would training be as good if you just let somebody else do it for you?" Shirane asked him, looking up from a particularly stubborn stain that she had been trying to rub off for nearly a minute.

"Right! I'll make my home the best and most clean house there is, you'll see!" Naruto said as he picked up a cloth.

Shirane had thought that he might be lost in unfamiliar territory, but it seemed that she had chosen the right words to motivate him.

With the two of them working together, they cleaned right up. All of his dishes, his clothes, his sheets, his spare kunai and training scrolls; all of them were washed, brushed, beaten and sorted away.

Once they were done, it looked like an entirely different place.

“Wow," Naruto gasped, looking around. "I forgot how nice it was to have this much room."

"Well then, you will just have to do your best to keep it clean," Shirane replied, falling to the floor as Torabi scampered back with one of the packets of food that her brother had saved for her.

"I had to throw your breakfast out and I used all my money buying kunai," Shirane explained from the ground. "So you can have this. You will probably need it after all that work."

"Really, for me?" Naruto asked.

Though he had directed the question at Shirane, it was Torabi who answered. "Yep, make sure you eat up."

"Oh uh... Thank you," Naruto said with a nervous tone as he took the food parcel from the talking tiger.

"I always wondered, how come your cat can talk?" He asked Shirane.

"Torabi is not a cat, he is a tiger and he is a Ninja animal," Shirane told him, however the explanation was met only with confusion.

"It is like this," she explained. "There are rare and special scrolls out there that can link you with different clans of animals. These are known as summoning or Ninja animals. They can speak and they often have special abilities that they can use in battle."

"Really? Then what's Torabi's special ability?" Naruto asked as he knelt down to squint at the kitten.

“I am sure we will show you some time, but are you not forgetting something? I would fling that food in your microwave and get down to the Hokage's office if I were you," Shirane told him as she stood back up and put her hands on her hips.

"What are you... Oh! Right, I remember. Damn, I haven't even had my photo taken. I was going to wear war paints and everything,” Naruto spoke, dejected that he would not have time for his master plan.

"Well, that probably would have been a bad idea. The Hokage would have made you take the photo again. I know it would have been fun, but there are some things that you just have to take seriously, Naruto," Shirane explained as she scooped Torabi up.

"I think it would've looked cool..." Naruto said with that thin eyed look he gave when he disliked an idea.

"Maybe it would have, but I do not think the Hokage would have liked it, that is all," Shirane told him as she stroked her fingers through Torabi's fur.

"Okay, okay, I get you. What are you going to do?" Naruto asked. He seemed eager to move on from Shirane's bossy attitude, and was likely beginning to wonder if all girls were like that deep down.

"I will probably go and do some training, see if I can not learn something new before the day is over," she spoke with a shrug. "Or I will go and see if I can make some more new friends."

"I'm your friend, right? That's what you said," Naruto asked her with a hint of eagerness in his voice.

"I feel like we have already gone over this but I'll repeat myself just in case. Yes Naruto, I am your friend. After all of _that,_ did you really think I would not be?" Shirane told him as she walked to the door.

Naruto did not reply until she was very nearly gone and although Shirane did not see it, he shook as he tried to repress tears of happiness. "Alright, Shirane! I'll see you around."

"You too," Shirane spoke and closed the door as she left.

She did not like long goodbyes.

 

/~X~\

 

Far away, near the border between the Fire Country and the River Country, stood a teenaged boy.

He was young, tall and well built, his hardened muscles visible under the tank top he wore. All of his clothes were designed for combat, in fact. Well made boots, loose and breathable trousers, as well as shin and arm protectors. His leaf headband he had made on his own, with thicker material and in the shape of the head protectors of the warriors of old.

His name was Gekido and he was Shirane's beloved older brother.

Gekido stood on a thin tree branch, his bow held steadily in his hand. This was his first mission alone and he was eager to prove himself.

There was a transaction being carried out not far from here. Two men would meet to discuss a trade deal that would be disadvantageous to Gekido's client.

Gekido had to ensure that it never happened.

Maybe the deal was innocent, maybe the client was the corrupt one, but Gekido didn't care. He had accepted this mission for the Leaf, and when he thought of Shirane's smiling face, he couldn't help but do his best.

Like his little sister, he too had a summoning animal; Torami, a tigress of purest white. She stalked their targets even now, cutting off their escape route should Gekido miss.

But Gekido never missed. He knocked an arrow and lined up the shot, taking a deep breath in. He had calculated the distance.

They would never know he had even been there.

Almost silently one of them fell dead, as if struck down by a vengeful God. It would not be until closer inspection that an arrow would be found in the man's neck. Of course, no-one would be inspecting the corpse for quite some time.

Torami lept upon the survivor, her claws drawn as Gekido hopped down off of the branch.

He would not be needing to feed her tonight.

"All clean?" He asked as he put the bow over his shoulder.

"Ah, not a bone left. Perhaps a few stains here and there, but I'm not perfect," Torami purred as she stretched out her feline body.

"Then we should head back. Mission complete, wouldn't you say?" Gekido said as he cracked his knuckles.

"You're the one making the decisions, Gekido. You tell me," Torami spoke as she licked her paws and washed behind her ears.

Gekido had decided, long ago, that Torami existed purely to antagonise him and had long since forgone the desire to call her out on it.

"Come on then, you can pamper yourself when we get home," he told the tiger as he turned to go.

Those two had been civilians. Ninja would not have met so readily in the open, especially if their transaction was as important as Gekido's client had made it seem.

The two of them had barely been walking for ten minutes when they stopped again. Gekido had felt it at the same time that Torami had; the bestial fear that runs deep in all creatures when danger is nearby.

His instincts were proved right as a kunai pierced the bark of a tree, the metal dripping with poison.

Had he perhaps foiled someone else's mission? Or was this something more?

"Gekido of the Hidden Leaf. You will die."

Three of them fell down from the trees, their bodies cloaked in camouflaged robes and their faces covered with plain white masks, a curved X carved into the forehead. Each of them had a distinctive red tattoo of a scorpion on their left arm.

There would be no time for talking; they all had their kunai drawn.

But so did Gekido.

He wouldn't be dying here. He wouldn't allow it.

They tested him, a thrown kunai here, a quick strike there. Gekido knew that and glared each of them down.

He was outnumbered, three to two and Torami had just eaten.

But there was no way he could lose.

Quick as a flash, he struck out, his kunai clashing with one of the assassins', the unknown Ninja flinching back as Gekido's full weight slammed against that single point.

As he pushed against the Ninja, Torami let out a fierce roar and went for the second man's throat.

He went down screaming.

The third man approached, a chain and scythe appearing from beneath his cloak, and advanced on Torami, intent on getting her off his comrade the hard way.

Gekido wouldn't allow that.

He lashed out at the first with a kick that struck hard into his opponent's stomach and threw him back. With his opponent on the ground and gasping for air, he turned around, his hands already a blur as he formed the signs for a technique.

"Lightning Style: Single Strike," he shouted at the assassin, a single burst of lightning connecting Gekido's hand to the other man's chest.

The masked Ninja fell down and did not stand up again.

Only the man whom he had kicked remained.

"Who are you?" Gekido asked him, his stare piercing the white mask. The two of them were close enough to trade blows and Gekido could see the man's brown eyes shaking with anger.

"I have nothing to say to you but this; True Ninja Art: Kamikaze!"

Gekido swore, jumping back as an unearthly glow rose beneath the mask. The assassin had turned his own body into a bomb.

A cataclysmic light filled the air as every part of the man's body was converted into pure explosive force.

The detonation made the very air tear apart with its ferocity and the very sound of it sent birds fleeing from the trees for miles around. There would be a scar in the earth here for years to come.

Gekido had barely escaped with his life.

Torami came limping to his side, battered but alive.

"What do you think that was about?" She asked, her ire directed at the men who had now been utterly vaporised by their comrade's attack.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I'll write it into my report, see what the higher-ups think of it," Gekido spoke steadily.

"Can you walk?" He added, noticing Torami's limp.

"Not all the way back to the Leaf," she replied in a begrudging tone.

"Then pop back to your place and heal up. I'll see you tomorrow," Gekido told her, checking her leg for any flesh wounds.

"Not exactly a vacation, is it?" She replied, showing him her teeth before she disappeared.

The two of them had never quite seen eye to eye, but that didn't mean he liked seeing her hurt.

"White masks and a scorpion tattoo, motive unclear," Gekido said to himself, holding the memory of the three in his mind. What would they have gained from killing her?

There was no point in making wild guesses. He'd think about it later.

He surveyed the area one more time before making his return to the village.

 

/~X~\

 

The Hokage's office had been full almost the entire day. One by one, the Genin had come in and they had taken their ID. Some had done silly things with their photos, but most had been sensible and had taken photos that they would not regret later on.

To the Hokage's frank surprise, Naruto had been one of the sensible ones. Perhaps the incident with Mizuki had shaken him deeper than he had let on.

That night, with Iruka's help, the Hokage had told Naruto the truth. The boy was a Jinchuuriki, the embodiment of the Fourth's sacrifice for the Leaf. The Nine Tailed Fox was sealed within him.

Naruto had taken the news in a surprisingly sober manner. True he had cried at the end, when Iruka had told him how proud he was, but other than that, he had been quiet. Then he had told the Hokage quite confidently that he was coming to take the hat from him.

If he kept on this path then there might finally be a new heir to the name of Hokage.

Naruto. He hadn't let the boy know lest his ego grow to the size of a mountain but, nonetheless, the Hokage was rooting for the boy.

Right now, however, he was dealing with more pressing matters.

The other three elders had gathered, along with the academy tutors to discuss the team placements for the newly minted Genin.

"Ino, Shikamaru and Choji should be placed together. Their fathers proved that the combination of InoShikaCho is not one that we should ignore," Iruka spoke as he checked his notes.

"Indeed. I propose that they be mentored under Lord Hokage's son, Asuma. He is a strong and willful man who may be able to teach them well," a second tutor spoke.

"I have no arguments," the Hokage replied. "Let it be so."

"Now, we have six kids and two mentors left. The combination of Kiba, Hinata and Shino would make for a good tracking team, under Kurenai," Iruka suggested.

"However, Shirane might also blossom under tutelage from Kurenai. She has already begun studying Genjutsu and her fighting style may mesh well with Kiba's, you know, with that tiger of hers," the second tutor spoke. "The problem is this; I believe that Hinata would also find herself more comfortable being tutored by a female Jounin."

"Why not have both of them on the same team?" Iruka suggested.

"Such an experiment has been attempted before," one of the elders spoke. "I would like to remind you that the ancient symbol for 'trouble' depicts two women under the same roof."

This comment earned him a pointed glare from the female elder, under which he withered.

"Very well then. She seems suited towards support in any case and would do well as back up to the assault forces of Naruto and Sasuke," the second tutor said in deference to the elder's wisdom.

"Agreed. Lord Hokage, we would like to suggest that Hinata, Shino and Kiba be placed under Kurenai," Iruka spoke, formalising their decision.

"Let it be so," the Hokage replied with a nod.

"And Naruto, Sasuke and Shirane be placed under Kakashi," the second tutor spoke.

"I have my doubts," Iruka spoke. "Kakashi is a powerful Jounin, but he has failed every Genin we have sent his way. These three have great potential. Is it wise to send them to Kakashi?"

"True, the risk is great but the rewards are greater. There is no man more dedicated than Kakashi. If they can pass his test, then they will find greatness with him. Of this, I am sure," the Hokage spoke, his voice resolute. "Have faith in your students, Iruka. They are excellent Ninja of the Leaf."

"Then I have no more opposition. I leave this to your will, Lord Hokage. This is our suggestion for Team Seven," Iruka replied.

"Let it be so."

With the necessary documents signed, and the teams agreed upon, the tutors left the room, then two of the elders left with barely a word.

Only the Hokage and the elder who had not spoken remained.

"Is there something amiss, Danzo?" The Hokage asked him after a few minutes of silence had prevailed.

"This and that, as usual. I too have my misgivings about Kakashi." Danzo spoke with a measured tone.

"Then you should have voiced them during the meeting," the Hokage replied.

"He is a mess and you know it, Hiruzen," Danzo barked. "Infamy has spoiled him, he no longer has to face all but the most determined of foes. He is out of practice, and significantly weaker than he was during the war."

"Thus why I have not considered him as a successor," the Hokage spoke, his tone almost implying agreement with Danzo. "However, I believe that all he needs is some focus and some motivation. Taking care of these Genin will require both."

 

"You could pull me out of retirement. Let me teach them. I have not long left, and I have no one to pass my teachings onto," Danzo offered carefully.

"It’s too late to throw your hat into the ring now, Danzo. You should have put in a request before the selection, then you would have been considered," the Hokage spoke, a tired tone in his voice.

"You truly believe that they would prosper under Kakashi? He is a sentimental fool, crippled by the past," Danzo jabbed back.

"I do. Will that be all?" The Hokage spoke as he filled his pipe with tobacco. He knew that Danzo could not stand the scent, and it was his own little way of getting back at him.

"No. I have one final request. Allow me to train Kakashi," Danzo spoke, a calm caress to his voice.

The Hokage's eyes snapped open.

"Oh? When last did I hear those words?" He replied, a hint of dark humour in his voice.

"Then allow me to test his current skills, at the least. This is my request in full: I would like to test Kakshi in my own manner, whether he accepts these Genin or not. If I do not find his skills to be up to the standard of an elite Jounin, then I will retrain him. If he does then I will consider him capable in his own right." Danzo proposed.

"The idea has merit… Retesting Jounin who have been in the force for some time," the Hokage mused. "Very well, but he must first receive warning and you must put the standards by which he shall be tested to me first. If he fails, then I will concede and you will be allowed to train him in any manner that you see fit. Leaving time for him to train his own pupils, of course."

"You are wise as always, Lord Hokage," Danzo spoke as he stood to leave.

"By the way," The Hokage spoke as Danzo reached the door. "I have been receiving reports of Ninja with blank masks causing trouble across the Elemental Nations. Interesting, don't you think?"

"Now when did _I_ last hear those words?" Danzo said, the beginnings of a smile staining his bandaged face. "Come now, old friend, do you really think I'd be that obvious?"

"As you were, then," the Hokage spoke as he lit his pipe, signalling an end to their conversation.

"Danzo," he spoke, the name coming out in a cloud of smoke. "Just what is it that you're trying to do?"

 

/~X~\

 

Shirane had been walking for quite some time.

She had been debating with herself on how she should go about this; for she wished to speak to Sasuke.

Three friends in one day. Perhaps it was greedy of her, but she felt like she could do it. She had seen Sasuke's smile, a sight as rare as rain. That _had_ to count for something.

The problem was, if she just turned up on his doorstep like she had for Naruto, there was no doubt that he'd slam it shut on her.

Sasuke was besieged by girls. For some reason, they flocked to him and obsessed over him, cooing his name as if that alone would gain his attention.

Shirane wanted no such relationship. Sasuke surely could not be a bad person deep down, but she was not about to kiss the very ground where he stepped.

Thus her quandary.

Maybe she should take him some food too? No, that felt too much like bribery.

In the end, she need not have worried at all.

"Shirane," a low voice came from beside her and snapped her out of her thoughts.

Sasuke was walking beside her as if he had been for some time and was looking at her in a bored manner that only served to prove that theory.

"How long...?"

"Too long," he said.

"Ah, sorry. Actually, I was debating whether to come see you or not," Shirane told him, petting Torabi with her nervous hands. She had not even planned what she was going to say to him!

Sasuke let out a grunt and put his hands in his pockets.

"I heard that you got into a fight last night," he said after a few moments of silence.

"Well, it was not really a fight. One of the tutors, Mizuki, turned traitor. I heard his plan so he kidnapped me," Shirane explained.

"But she escaped thanks to me," Torabi bragged, puffing up his little tiger chest.

Sasuke looked down at the tiger in deep shock for a moment before deciding that it was not worth asking.

Instead, he asked; "So you fought a Chuunin?"

"Like I told you, I did not fight him, neither did Torabi. Truth be told I ended up getting hurt pretty badly. But I noticed in the test that Mizuki was weak to Genjutsu, so I used a sleeping technique and he fell for it. Torabi got loose from where we were trapped and he went and fetched the Hokage. Once he got to us, there was nothing that Mizuki could do," Shirane told him.

"I see. There's something else that I wanted to ask. How come you're being nice to me all of a sudden? Naruto, too," Sasuke asked as he gave her a sideways glance.

Shirane took the question quite hard. It was true; right up until yesterday she had treat both of them with disdain.

"It was after that stuff I said to Sakura. I realised that I was being petty and horrible and... I just got fed up with myself. I got fed up of doing everything on my own. I decided that I should try and make some friends. I have already talked to Naruto and helped him out with some stuff, and I was going to come and see you as well," she admitted, the energy seeping out of her body.

"I see," Sasuke said. "I have been fighting a similar feeling as well. But I have something that I need to do. Something I have to do alone, if I hope to restore the honour of my clan."

"Sod honour, we are Ninja," Shirane spoke automatically. "My brother was like that for a while, he always insisted on facing his opponents with honour. Then he came home with a great old sword wound straight across his back. I will say to you what I said to him; 'forget honour and do everything you can to survive.'"

Sasuke looked away from her, a flash of anger crossing his face.

"That's not what I meant. This isn't some bushido code. It's the memories of my entire family. For their sake, I will take revenge," he explained to her, a degree of consternation entering his voice.

"'The best revenge is living well.' Thus saith the Fourth Hokage," Shirane quoted.

"And leave the killer out there, living, breathing and laughing, no doubt? I'll 'live well' when he's dead," Sasuke told her.

"Fine, it is your life.” Shirane spoke and accepted the defeat. “Will you at least let me be your friend?"

"Didn't I tell you that it's something I need to do alone?" Sasuke told her, another flash of anger crossing his face.

"That does not mean that you have to _be_ alone. Besides, there is nothing stopping you from training alongside your friends, is there? Even if you can not accept help when the time comes, that does not mean you cannot accept companionship or even a little bit of help now, does it? I do not want to interfere with your goals, Sasuke. I just want someone else to talk to," she told him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and looked down at his feet.

"I will... Consider it," he replied in an uncertain manner. "In the meantime, I ask that you leave me alone. I don’t appreciate being talked _at_.”

"I get you. I will see you around, then," She told him as she waved him off at the crossroads.

"Don't count on it," Sasuke replied, his voice as dry as the summer wind.

 

/~X~\

 

Shirane barely slept that night for excitement.

Finally, she was to join a Genin team. She had been putting herself through the grinder for over three years now and it was all about to pay off.

She must have slipped off at some point, however, because her eyes sprang open what felt like seconds later to the sight of sunlight piercing through her curtains.

Torabi had slept on her again, and she made a mental note to tell him off for it. In the meantime, however, she wanted some breakfast.

Once again, she was dressed and up and avoiding the mirror in a matter of minutes.

She flew down the stairs, sparing only the slightest glance at the clock. Then she gave it another look in disbelief. After all that time she had spent awake the night before, she had still woken up much too early.

Sometimes even Shirane cursed the fact that she was a morning person.

When she got downstairs however, she found a pair of boots by the door.

Gekido was home!

She ran into the living room and looked around, her face full of excitement, only to find Torami blocking the way into the kitchen.

"No kittens in the kitchen," was her only greeting. 'No kittens in the kitchen' was the number one rule while Gekido was cooking.

"I am not a kitten any more, look," Shirane spoke as she proudly showed off her Leaf Headband to Torami.

The tigress spied the headband with critical eyes and then pounced on Shirane with a playful growl and began to lick her face.

"Ah! No! Stop, it tickles!" Shirane cried as she laughed.

"If I can give your face a wash, then you're still a kitten to me," Torami spoke as she flattened Shirane's hair down with a paw. "Besides, your mean old brother will be mad at both of us if I let you into the kitchen."

"Breakfast time, tigers and kittens," Gekido's powerful voice sounded out from the kitchen.

Shirane scuttled out from under Torami and sat on the sofa eagerly, and the tigress curled up in the corner, a gentle smile on her lips.

"Genki, you are back," Shirane smiled at Gekido as he brought her a tray of sausages, eggs and bacon.

"Yes, I'm back, Snowy. Have you been good?" Gekido asked her as he sat in the old rocking chair and Torabi came plodding down the stairs.

"I have been the best. I think you will find that I am the greatest little sister in the Leaf," she told him between bites.

"What did you break?" Gekido asked dryly.

"Nothing!" Shirane spoke out against the accusation. "I just got into one bad situation, that is all. The rest has been super good, honest."

"Tell me what happened," Gekido implored.

Shirane went over the story once more, just for him, telling him everything that had happened and everything that she had heard. The Mizuki incident, as some were calling it, was now little more than an exciting story she could tell.

"I see, is your stomach okay?" Gekido said after taking the story in.

"Yes, it is healed now, because of the nice medic Ninja," she told him as she shovelled bacon into her mouth.

"Well that's good, then. And you're sure that's all the bad stuff that happened?" He asked, a fretful look on his brow.

"Honest to goodness, Genki, I even made some new friends, like you were always telling me," Shirane told him with a bright look on her face. "Naruto and Tenten. Maybe even Sasuke."

"I'm glad for you, Snowy, it was about time you got some friends. Make sure you're always nice to them," Gekido told her.

He left her to eat her breakfast while he fetched Torabi and Torami’s as well. By the time he had sat down, Shirane was finished.

"I'm sorry I missed your graduation," Gekido told her, a slight sense of regret in his voice. "Have you found out who your mentor is yet?"

"Not yet, I think that is happening today. I got to speak with the Hokage twice though, so maybe he will take me on as an apprentice?" She giggled at her own silly logic.

"Perhaps, perhaps," Gekido said, going along with her jokes as he always did. "It's about time. I'm going to rest today, so you can tell me who you've got when you come back."

"Okay Genki," Shirane smiled as she jumped off of the sofa and plucked Torabi away from his empty bowl.

"See you later," she shouted back as she reached the door.

"Have a good day."

With her brother back home, she was not as early to school as she was usually and found Sasuke sat there among others.

She plopped down happily in her usual seat, glad to be near people whom she considered to be friends.

"Chipper as always," Sasuke commented, his voice notably tired.

"I am a morning person," Shirane explained.

"The worst kind of person."

"Hey!"

Sasuke fell silent once more, and Shirane followed suit, albeit in annoyance. Perhaps she would have been a mite less annoyed had she noticed the corners of Sasuke's lips raise in a secret smile.

Shirane managed to keep the pout going until the class had filled back up.

"Good morning class," Iruka called out to them.

"Good morning, Iruka-Sensei," came the call back.

"This is my last chance to give all of you a good and proper lecturing, so prepare yourselves." Iruka winked. "Though we haven't known one another long, I have enjoyed teaching this year more than any other group I have ever taught. You, my students, are all excellent Ninja of the Leaf and I am proud of all of you. May the Will of Fire burn on in you all."

"Now, I expect you're tired of the sound of my voice after all of this time, so let's get on with it," he said, opening a notepad.

One by one, they were split into teams and assigned to a Jounin mentor who would be their teacher and guardian until they were deemed ready to take missions on their own.

Some complained, like Ino, while some found that they were with their friends. There was a lot of noise but Shirane tuned it out.

She was waiting to hear her name called.

"Team Seven under Kakashi Hatake will be Sasuke, Naruto and Shirane."

Just like that, her heart burst into song and she could barely contain the smile that threatened to burst onto her lips.

Naruto had already agreed to be her friend and she was sure that Sasuke would see the sense in her argument eventually. Then she would have two of her friends on the same team and everything would be perfect!

Naruto appeared to be happy with the announcement, and Sasuke's mood had been risen to unseen levels of mild surliness. The three of them together would make a great team.

Now they just had to wait for their Sensei.

For several hours.

"Where the hell is he?" Naruto shouted as he smashed his fist against the table. With good reason as well; all of the other students had been taken away by their various Jounin Sensei and were likely now enjoying themselves.

While she certainly was not going to be so loud about it, Shirane could not help but agree.

Where on earth could Kakashi be?

 

/~X~\

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes;  
> Once again, a big thank you to the people on the /r/narutofanfiction discord, particularly Teensith and Bo for their help in writing this chapter.
> 
> So far, everything I have written has been in the style of Agatha Christie according to iwl.me. I guess this means that I'm consistent at least? Nearly 8000 words this chapter. It was originally going to include the bell test too, but I'm going to push that to next chapter.
> 
> Hopefully, you have enjoyed thus far and I can keep you captivated. What do you think of Yoichi? He'll be popping up again at some point so look out for him.
> 
> What are Danzo's plans for Kakashi? Who are these mysterious Ninja in blank masks? How will the three young Genin fair against the powerful Jounin Kakashi? Can they possibly pass his test? All this and more, next time on Fire and lightning.


	4. A New Leaf

Chapter 4 - A New Leaf 

Kakashi was having a really bad day.

It hadn’t been enough that he was once again being forced to test yet another set of useless, immature Genin. Oh no, he had been tested and trialed, all because some high-strung elder thought that he wasn’t good enough.

It had been tough, he wouldn’t deny it. The tests had been specifically designed to target his weaknesses and grind him down.

Even now, sat in the Hokage’s office, he could feel his sweat soaked clothes sticking to his skin and he could still feel his muscles burning in rebellion.

He had endured. He had pushed through it all, like he always did.

He survived. That was his blessing and his curse. No matter what, he always survived.

“You passed,” the Hokage spoke with a neutral tone. Sat to his left was Danzo, one of the elders who advised the Hokage. Just as Kakashi had suspected.

“Of course,” Kakashi replied and did not even bother to lift his head from the book that he was reading. “I am an elite Jounin for a reason.”

“Indeed. Danzo?” The Hokage spoke as he turned his attention to Danzo.

“Very well,” Danzo replied as he stood and Kakashi watched as the bandaged elder left. Had there been some sort of agreement between him and the Hokage? Well, it didn’t matter now. He had proved himself better than Danzo’s little games.

“Can I go now?” He asked, his tone almost petulantly, not that he cared how he sounded.

“No, Kakashi, I want you to put your book down and listen to me,” the Hokage spoke with a tone that brooked no argument.

Kakashi was many things, but he wasn’t a fool. He would antagonise just about anyone on any day of the week. He would even sometimes mess with the Hokage at times. But when his commander demanded his attention, he gave it wholly.

He placed the book in his lap and stiffened his body to attention.

“At ease, there is much I wish to tell you,” the Hokage spoke as he lit his pipe and took a great drag of the tobacco smoke. He was stressed and angry; his face would never show it but Kakashi had known the Hokage for a very long time; he could read him by how many breaths of smoke he took in before speaking.

“Yes indeed, I have a couple of issues that you may be able to help with,” the Hokage spoke before he took in another lungful of smoke. It was at this point that Kakashi realised just how much trouble he was in.

“As you have no doubt gathered; Danzo has once again attempted a ridiculous power play. You were to be tested and had you failed, you would have been his to mold and train. I have to be honest, Kakashi, I had little faith that you would complete these trials. I allowed them to go ahead, do you know why?”

Kakashi was confused and tipped his head to show it.

“Because I thought, for one irrational moment, that Danzo might be able to provide you with the motivation you require,” the Hokage spoke in answer to Kakashi’s unasked question. “It’s clear to me now that he only intended to break you down so that he could mold you in his image.”  
  
Kakashi was allowed to dwell on that fact for a short while as the Hokage breathed in the soothing smoke.

“Of course, none of that matters now. You passed, you proved me wrong. The harsher path was avoided and things can go on as they were before. Of course, that leads me onto the next problem,” the Hokage spoke, his words punctuated by clouds of tobacco smoke. “You fully intended to fail the Genin assigned to you out of hand, didn’t you?”

“I was going to make them take the bell test,” Kakashi shrugged. Forget the fact that he never intended for a team of Genin to understand the meaning behind that exercise from the start.

The Hokage, it seemed, was aware of this, and let out a smoke filled sigh.

“The future of the Leaf is tenuous. We are coasting on the image of our past victories, limping along and crippled by the blows that fate has dealt us. True, we have tentative agreements with the Mist, the Sand, and a deeper connection with the Waterfall, but what if they saw past the illusion of strength that we show the rest of the world? Would they still stand by us then? We need a new guard, a way to make that illusion a reality,” the Hokage explained, his tone slow and considered.  
  
“The Jinchuuriki, the remaining Uchiha. A girl who wishes to become a sealer. These three alone, if trained properly, could be the forefront of that ideal. Think of what it could do for the Leaf if the right hands were to shape their future.”

“So why hand them to me?” Kakashi spoke immediately, unable and unwilling to swallow the retort.  
  
“Why should Kakashi of the Sharingan teach the only remaining Uchiha? Why should the pupil of Minato Namikaze teach his son? Why should someone who learned sealing at the hand of the Fourth Hokage and his wife give advice to someone deeply interested in the art? You have so much to give, Kakashi, so much. I believe that they would flourish under you,” the Hokage told him, utter faith in his voice.

Yet Kakashi was still not convinced.  
  
“If they are so important, why not train them yourself? Everything you say about me is mostly true of you. I might know a thousand techniques, but you _invented_ over a thousand,” he replied, his tone more childishly petulant than ever. Even he knew that he was pushing his luck, but he wanted to avoid this responsibility with all of his heart.

Yet the Hokage gave the idea credence, as if it were the first time he had heard such a comment, and stroked his chin in thought.

“Train them myself, you say? But then how would I deal with the duties of Hokage? I am a busy man, Kakashi,” the Hokage spoke, yet a look on his face showed that he was giving the idea thought.

Kakashi blinked once, and then twice. Could he work this? Only if he thought of a way for the Hokage to do his work, without Kakashi himself getting involved.

There must be a way, something obvious, something right under his nose.  
For some reason, the image of the dossier on Naruto swam in his mind; “Capable of creating over a thousand Shadow Clones without tiring…” it had read.  
  
Wait, there it was! An idea so simple, so beautiful that he was almost worried that it was too good to be true.

“Shadow Clones,” Kakashi let out carelessly.

“I beg your pardon?” The Hokage replied as if he hadn’t quite heard him.

“You could leave a Shadow Clone here to do your work. No-one would touch it and so long as you made a new one every day, it’d never run out of Chakra. That way you could train the Genin to your heart’s desire, while your clone does all the work here. There’s your solution,” Kakashi spoke, perhaps a little _too_ proud of the idea.

The Hokage leaned back and closed his eyes as he considered the idea deeply.

“Kakashi, you’re a genius,” he spoke after an almost too-long pause. “Why, it’s the perfect idea. However; the teams are already set, which means that I can only train these Genin as your assistant.”

There it was; the bad news that Kakashi had been waiting for. What had his father always said? ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’

“The more I think on this idea, the more merit it holds in my eyes. This way, I can keep an eye on you as well as the Genin,” the Hokage spoke, a bright excitement coming to him as he considered the idea further. “Oh yes, this is a grand opportunity. Come, Kakashi, we have much to prepare!”

Kakashi watched as the old Hokage stood, seeming to almost regress in age ten years at the prospect of being able to help train Genin once more after all of this time.

What sweet hell had he just unleashed?

****

/~X~\

****

Lilacs rested on a lonely grave.

Gekido had nothing to say. He had never been able to open up like Shirane did, to speak out loud all of his hopes and fears and achievements as if their mother's spirit might be listening.

He envied Shirane's faith, envied her belief that their mother smiled down on them from above. He could never bring himself to imagine it. He was afforded no such solace.

There was no point questioning why, begging for guidance from one who could no longer answer. He was his own guide now, and the guide of his precious little sister.

Speaking of the scamp, he had made a promise to Shirane that he would rest today, but he had ended up breaking it and had walked all the way out here to the cemetery.

All he could do was return home and hope that Torami would not rat him out.

He let out a sigh as he turned to leave.

Torami was totally going to rat him out.

A warm wind picked up petals of lilac and carried them away to parts unknown as Gekido walked away.

****

/~X~\

****

Shirane looked up from her book.

The three Genin were still waiting for their Sensei to arrive and Naruto was starting to twitch. Shirane wondered if he had ever been made to sit still for so long.

Sasuke, in stark contrast, seemed at peace with proceedings and stared off into space with his usual blank expression.

"That's it!" Naruto shouted as he stood up and slapped the table. "Our Sensei's going to get pranked."

Shirane rose a judgmental eyebrow but could not keep the smile from showing on her lips. If their Sensei wanted to be late then he could deal with a little prank, surely?

Naruto took one of the chalk dusters and placed it over the sliding door so that it would fall down on the head of anyone who opened the door.

"Is that all?" Shirane asked him, disappointed with his apparent lack of imagination.

"Yep. Sometimes, simple is best," Naruto spoke with a wide grin. "Besides, I bet that you couldn't think of anything better with what's in the room."

"You bet, do you? Alright then," Shirane replied, unable to resist a challenge.

She closed her book and placed Torabi carefully on top of it before she ran to the back of the class room and grabbed the bottle of superglue, several sheets of paper and a pair of safety scissors. She walked back to her seat -- because one should not run with scissors -- and pulled a small pot of special ink as well as a brush from her pocket. She pushed her mother's book, Torabi and all, into Naruto's space and sat down.

The first piece of paper, she cut into two equal parts and set them in front of herself. The other pieces of paper she had Naruto tear into little pieces as she dipped her brush into the ink.

Bringing one of the pieces of paper that she had cut out in front of her, she began to carefully draw an elaborate design.

The two most basic styles of sealing were linear and circular. Circular allowed repeated actions to be made while Linear allowed actions to happen one after another.  
These were for beginners and more complicated seals forewent them entirely, in favour of much grander styles. Storage seals, the design that Shirane was attempting to make here, were based on the Linear style.  
What this meant was that they were simpler to draw and design, and relied more heavily on lines than symbols. It took ever so slightly more Chakra to activate them, only the smallest of differences, but to Shirane's low Chakra pools such differences were important to note.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked with a frown as he watched Shirane's brush glide over the surface of the paper as if it were a skater on ice.

"I am making a storage seal," she told him brightly, glad that he had taken an interest in her work. "If you look here, this part is a 'receiver,' it catches a pulse of Chakra and directs it along the line. This is then brought to this, which is the release mechanism. The storage mechanism is also contained here, however the Chakra pulse from earlier is blocked off from it. We don't want to try storing and releasing something at exactly the same moment. Trust me. It gets... Weird.

"Anyway, I still need Chakra to activate the storage mechanism, but since we have blocked it off from the receiver, we need a manual input which I will... just... draw...... there, you see?"

Sasuke nodded, although he had a markedly confused look on his face. Nevertheless he made an effort to chip in with this thoughts.

"So... That lets you store something in there by feeding it Chakra manually? And then you can release it remotely?" He asked her. Naruto had finished tearing up the paper and had come to look as well.

"Yes," Shirane explained with a smile, keen to keep Sasuke interested. "Although, I still have to be relatively close to the seal to set it off. I _could_ make it more sensitive but then there's a chance that it will set off if someone just passes by it, just because of their Chakra's natural pulse. It is possible to tune a receiver to your own Chakra signature, at least, I've heard of people doing that, but I haven't figured out how to do that quite yet."

Unlike Sasuke, Naruto had nothing to add, and simply admired the beautiful pattern that Shirane had made. He was even more amazed when Shirane opened the bottle of glue, pressed her fingers to what she had called the manual input and poured the glue straight onto the paper.

The stream of glue disappeared into the seal as if the very paper had swallowed it up.

Naruto let out a gasp of amazement and Sasuke's eyebrow rose about a quarter of a millimeter at the sight of it.

As quick as a flash, Shirane had copied the seal onto the other half of the paper and soon the mountain of scraps that Naruto had created also disappeared, swallowed by a seal.

"I am going to put a mark on this one, here," she spoke and pointed at the seal with paper in it. "This will delay the Chakra pulse slightly. This will mean that Sensei will be splattered with glue before he gets showered with paper," she told the boy and basked in the warm glow of the attention that they were giving her.

Once she had a sufficient attention-tan, she stole some of the sticking tack from behind a poster and used it to stick her seals to the ceiling.

"You're both ridiculous," Sasuke uttered as he turned his attention back to the front of the classroom.

"What, are you saying that you could not do better?" Shirane said as she stuck her tongue out at him, too caught in the moment to care that she was being childish.

Sasuke looked, for the barest of moments, as though he might accept her challenge. It was not to be, for at that moment the heard footsteps outside.

Shirane rushed back to her seat and assumed an image of angelic innocence that only little girls were capable of.

A man opened the door and stepped into the room.

He was a tall and slender man, with a tight and well trained body and windswept silver hair. Any other defining feature of his body was hidden from view and even his face was mostly hidden away, his Leaf headband covering his left eye and a mask covering his mouth and nose.

As he stepped into the room, the chalk duster fell onto his head with a dull thud, before it bounced onto the floor with a rattle.

"You guys..." The man spoke as he brought himself further into the room.

Unfortunately for him, he had placed himself right under Shirane's trap.

With a quick and excited handsign from the young girl, the release mechanisms of the seals activated and the man found that he had more to worry about.

A bottle's worth of glue poured down over him with a hideous slopping sound, followed by a torrential downpour of plain white confetti. He was covered in an instant -- from head to toe -- in paper.

"... I think I loathe you," he told them, an utterly bemused expression on his face.

"Are those storage seals? Fantastic! Simply fantastic," another voice came as a much older man walked into the room.

"Hello, young Genin," he said to the three of them. "I must simply apologise for how late we are. We had to prepare some things and rather lost track of time, I'm afraid. In any case, you may call me Sarutobi-sensei and I will be assisting Kakashi, helping him to train you."

Sarutobi was an old veteran. Like Kakashi, his hair was a spiky silver, though more likely due to age than natural birth. He wore old fashioned Ninja clothes, designed to make one disappear in a crowd of civilians and leaned heavily on a walking cane.

Shirane felt something strange, as if she knew Sarutobi from somewhere, but the Hokage was the only person that she knew whom was that age. There were similarities between the two of them, but Sarutobi was clearly his own man. Torabi too had felt something and stirred from his sleep.

Kakashi whispered something into Sarutobi's ear and though his mask stopped Shirane from reading Kakashi's lips, she was able to catch snippets of Sarutobi's reply.

"No... if... finds out then... accused of favouritism... Just let me... most fun... in years(!)" He whispered back.

Shirane could not make heads or tails of what Sarutobi was saying. Favouritism? Who would he be favouring? And who would be accusing him? The Hokage?

Before she could even begin unwinding the whole conspiracy theory that had exploded in her mind, her attention was forced to her right as Naruto spoke up.

"Our Sensei’s an old man? That sucks!" He protested, his voice full of petulant childishness.

Shirane almost felt like slapping him for the rude remark. Sarutobi was a veteran whose standing alone, never mind his seemingly lovely attitude, demanded respect. 

However before she could so much as give Naruto an angry glare, Kakashi gave him an answer.

" _I_ am your Sensei. Sarutobi has offered me his assistance and expertise," he told Naruto directly, before he turned his focus back on the paper that covered him and tried to get it unstuck.

A marked silence filled the air as Naruto looked down at his feet, seemingly ashamed with his own outburst. This lasted a short while until Sarutobi clapped his hands together and smiled at each of them.

"Introductions are in order, I think? Well, let's go with the old standard, shall we? I'd like you all to tell me your names, your likes and dislikes, and your dreams for the future," he told them. He had a wonderful speaking voice that captivated them easily however none of them were willing to speak.

Kakashi was picking paper off of his clothes, Sasuke would try his level best to speak last and Naruto was still embarrassed with himself. There were no volunteers here.

"Sensei? Sir?" Shirane asked as she rose her hand. "Could you perhaps give us an example? We three know a little bit about one another, but nothing at all about either of you."

"Well put, you're quite right, my girl," Sarutobi told her as he gave a nod. "A good point in deed. Very well, I'm Sarutobi, I like and love my children and my grandchildren, but I also like sardine fish balls and Hijiki seaweed. I very much dislike arguments and pickled fish. My dream is to build a brighter future for the Leaf."

It took Kakashi a few seconds to notice that the proverbial torch had been passed to him, and another few seconds after that for him to speak.

"I'm Kakashi," he drawled, his arms hung loose by his sides. "I suppose, I like... Well, I don't really dislike anything. My dream for the future...... That's a secret."

One could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed Kakashi's speech. Sarutobi rolled his eyes and turned to Kakashi.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Sarutobi said, giving Kakashi a look of utter contempt. "This is Kakashi Hatake, a Jounin of the Leaf. He likes reading and dislikes writing reports. His dream is to own a signed first copy of a book written by his favourite author."

Kakashi had the decency to look down in shame from the look that Sarutobi had given him. The elder sighed and turned back to the Genin.

"Ladies first," he asked Shirane politely as he gestured at her.

"Hello, I am Shirane and this is Torabi," she spoke as she lifted Torabi off of the book and into their line of sight.

"Stop it, I'm tired," Torabi whined as he dangled from Shirane's grip.

"I like my brother, and pie. I would say that... I guess I dislike loud noises? Or really high pitched sounds? In any case, my dream for the future is to surpass my mother as a sealer and become the greatest Kunoichi in the Leaf."

"Very good, Shirane," Sarutobi told her before he moved on.

Both Naruto and Sasuke shared their versions, with Naruto exclaiming once more, how he would become Hokage. Surprisingly, Sarutobi had given an enthusiastic thumbs up to this, although Kakashi had rolled his eye.

Then Sasuke had sent a chill down Shirane's spine by uttering his dream in a tone that was so full of dark emotion that she could not help but shiver. He might have only been twelve, but he was serious about his goal.

"Can you really think of nothing that you like, young Sasuke?" Sarutobi asked him, the question coming in a tone that was so genuinely curious that Shirane felt compelled to answer, even though it had not been directed at her.

"Come on, just one thing. A girl you fancy? A food you like more than any other? Music? Theatre? Even if it's something small or silly like your pillow." Sarutobi continued. Shirane noted how he had moved past Sasuke's murderous goal and was trying to have him focus on small details about his life.

Sasuke closed his eyes and bowed his head in a nod.

"I... I suppose I like the smell of dust after rain... and... tomatoes. I don't like being disturbed when I'm thinking. Is that better?" He asked, a slight edge of frustration entering his voice.

"Much better, thank you Sasuke," Sarutobi said, every one of his words genuine. Not a single note of his tone was condescending or patronising, and Shirane could not help but wonder how he did it.

"Well then, I leave the rest in the hands of Kakashi," Sarutobi said as he sat down in Iruka's chair.

"What? Oh, right," Kakashi's attention had been elsewhere and the transference of power had temporarily caught him off guard. "So, basically, you're not quite Genin yet."

Shirane and Naruto let out a simultaneous cry of protest, and pointed at their headbands. Kakashi held his hand up to stop them from shouting.

"All Jounin have a right to not train a Genin team. For this purpose, it has become a tradition for Jounin Sensei to test their prospective students before deciding to train them," he explained.

This calmed Shirane down. It was only fair, she supposed, to let the Jounin choose whether to train Genin or not.

"I will give you another hour to prepare yourselves for the test I will give you. It will be for the rest of the day, so prepare accordingly... or whatever. One piece of advice; don't eat, you'll be sick. Meet me on training ground three," Kakashi told them before he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

Sarutobi let out a sigh and mumbled quietly to himself. "Who does he think he's kidding? Everyone knows that you won't be sick if you give your stomach about an hour to rest."

He noticed that the three Genin were still sat there and waved at them with a smile.

"I'll see you in an hour. Don't forget, training ground three," he reminded them before he walked out of the door in a much more usual manner.

Naruto was gone almost immediately. Shirane could be forgiven for imagining that he had jumped out the window with how fast he had run.

"Do you need anything, Sasuke?" She asked him and noted his expression. He had started showing more emotion. Not much, just little flashes every now and then. Still, it was better than a pure blank slate.

"I'll be fine, thank you," he replied with a polite tone.

Shirane watched him leave and pet Torabi's head as she considered her own next move.

"I might have to ask you to do some work," she told him.

"That's okay. I'll do anything I can to help you, Shirane," Torabi replied.

She scooped him up along with her mother's book and walked home, her mind filled with ideas of what she might need to bring to this test.

****

/~X~\

****

Shirane was late!

How had she let this happen? She was normally so on top of time. She just had to hope that Kakashi wouldn't fail her because of this one little slip up.

She had sent Torabi ahead. He could run like no-one else when he really wanted to, and thus was the best kind of summoning animal to send messages ahead.

She made it to training ground three and found Sasuke and Naruto standing there already.

Sat on a stool with Torabi resting in his lap was Sarutobi.

"Sorry I'm late, Sensei," Shirane bowed and plucked Torabi away to stand next to her.

"Good, we're all here," Sarutobi said with a gracious smile.

"Wait, where's Kakashi-sensei? If he's late again, I'll scream," Naruto asked and looked around as if the man might be hiding nearby.

There was nowhere to hide, unless he was somehow beneath the ground. They were stood atop a hill with nothing to hide behind or under anywhere around them.

Sarutobi's smile became a sinister little grin.

"Kakashi is hiding somewhere in the Leaf. His test for you is this; all three of you must have found him by sunset. If none of you, or only one or two of you find him then you all fail. He has been given two handicaps to make this fair - first; he cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu to hide himself, however he may use Taijutsu or old fashioned Ninja techniques that do not require Chakra. Secondly; he may not leave the Leaf, hide underground or hide anywhere a Genin would be disallowed. Do you understand?" Sarutobi told them.

Naruto nodded and geared up to begin, however fell flat on his face as Sarutobi stood up and spoke.

"Hang on a moment, I'm not done yet. I'm afraid that my feelings were rather hurt by Naruto's comment about my age, so I've decided to test you too. If you want to look for Kakashi, you first have to get past me," Sarutobi spoke.

He was old, frail and looked as though he might fall over should the wind blow too hard. Yet Shirane felt a pressure from him, a deep pressure that told her to fight or flee. She opened her mouth, but no words would come.

Sasuke too seemed to have been afflicted and though a kunai had appeared in his hand, he could not bring himself to move.

In the end, it was Naruto who broke the spell.

"I'll take your test then! I'll prove that I'm the man who will one day become Hokage," he exclaimed.

Sarutobi pointed his cane at a line that had been cut into the earth behind him.

"Get past this line and you're free to go," he told them.

Naruto did not waste a moment and threw himself immediately at Sarutobi.

Shirane never even saw what happened. One moment, Naruto's fist had been heading towards Sarutobi's face, the next he was thrown back with considerable force.

Sasuke was next to try. His fighting style was lighter and faster than Naruto's, perhaps he could get a hit on the old man?

Despite Shirane's faith in him, he was swept aside just as easily. Neither of them would be so easily dissuaded and they attacked Sarutobi over and over.

Shirane knew that she had to do something. She could not just watch Naruto and Sasuke get knocked flat over and over.

An idea formed in her mind and she ran between the two boys as quick as she was able. Sarutobi had no more difficulty with three of them than he had with two and flicked Naruto away. Sasuke was thrown back by the blunt end of Sarutobi's cane and now Shirane was alone.

But that was fine, she had a plan. Sarutobi had hit Naruto and Sasuke in the chest with a straight blow so she preemptively dodged to the left.

In that movement, the bells in her hair rang and in that tone she laid a Genjutsu. It was a simple thing, intended only to knock him off timing for a moment. She would never be able to fit more than a sleeping Genjutsu in the tone her bells made, but it was enough for now.

She flitted around Sarutobi's left side, aiming for the line. However, before she even saw him move, she felt an impact deep in her stomach and was thrown back to the ground.

"Taijutsu," Sarutobi proclaimed, tapping his cane against the ground.

Shirane stood up and wiped the mud off of her face.

"If we can not go through him..." She began.

"Then we'll just go around him," Sasuke spoke, finishing her sentence.

"Break!" Naruto shouted and each of them ran in a separate direction.

Sasuke, his hands a blur, threw a single fireball technique at Sarutobi to distract him whilst Naruto had summoned a horde of clones, perhaps in the hope that he would be lost among them. Shirane had no such tricks and simply fled as fast as she was able towards the line.

Sarutobi dodged the fireball with utter calm. Then, with a simple hand sign, he stamped on the ground.

The ground itself rose up against the Genin, first collapsing under their feet and then catapulting them away with a spire of earth.

"Ninjutsu," Sarutobi intoned as he watched them stand.

"And Genjutsu."

Shirane didn't even have time to recover as Sarutobi's immense power washed over her, consuming her mind and taking away her senses.

She pushed against it, pulsing her own Chakra against it. The power was overwhelming, consuming. Just how powerful _was_ Sarutobi?

In her mind, she saw horrible things. She saw Naruto lying against a tree, his blood stained against the bark. She saw Sasuke, his mouth open in a scream, his eyes plucked from his head.

Her own fear had been turned against her.

"Torabi, bite me!" She cried out against the darkness in her mind, hoping her partner would here.

Shirane was rewarded with a sharp pain in her left hand and with the sight of the open sky. She let out a breath that she had not known that she had been holding.

Both boys required two hard slaps to be brought back into reality. If Torabi were not there, what would she have done? That was something to consider later. The power of Genjutsu was truly fearsome.

"I have an idea," Naruto spoke, to the surprise of everyone listening.

Shirane scooped up Torabi and nodded her head.

"What?" Sasuke asked him.

"You two get ready to run. I've a special technique that's super effective on powerful Ninja," Naruto grinned and rubbed his finger beneath his nose.

"Okay, I trust you," Shirane told him and stood beside him.

It took Sasuke a moment longer to decide but he too soon stood at Naruto's side.

"What do you plan to do now?" Sarutobi asked them.

"I'm going to show you something special! The technique I used to defeat the Hokage!" Naruto told Sarutobi, his finger pointed squarely and a look of determination in his eyes.

Naruto made a hand sign that Shirane had never seen before and a visible Chakra built up around him. What fearsome technique could he be using?

"Behold!" Naruto spoke as the smoke around him cleared. "Sexy technique!"

As per Naruto's instruction, Shirane had started running already, but saw well enough what Naruto had done.

In his place was a sixteen year old girl with the body of a Goddess; long slender legs, child bearing hips and sunshine blonde hair that was held up in pigtails.

Sarutobi never stood a chance.

"What was that?!" Shirane growled as Torabi struggled helplessly against her vice like grip. They were all stood together, way over the line - Sarutobi face down in the dirt as if he had been hit by the most powerful technique that there was.

"Like it? It's a secret technique I invented," he smiled with pride.

"You have to admit, it _was_ effective," Sasuke spoke.

Shirane looked between them. She could not believe what she was hearing.

"Boys," she decided. "I do not think I shall ever understand your kind."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you," Sasuke replied.

"Shouldn't we be looking for Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked between the two of them.

"I know we have to find him together, but we should split up. We only have a couple of hours left before sunset," Shirane said.

"But how will we know if somebody finds Kakashi?" Naruto chimed in.

"Have you got a seal for communication?" Sasuke asked and turned his attention to Shirane.

"No, I had not even thought about the idea," Shirane admitted. "Okay, if you find Kakashi, you bring him straight back to Sarutobi. The rest will meet back here right before sunset. Does that sound good?"

"It's the best we're going to do for now," Sasuke spoke in agreement.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Naruto exclaimed and set off immediately. Sasuke followed suit and ran off in a different direction.

Shirane tried to imagine where Kakashi might go. The library, the book stores, perhaps the restaurants? Or maybe she should try and find his house? She could always ask around to gather intel, but she did not want to end up on a wild goose chase.

Her feet carried her to the first places she had thought of; the library. Then the bookstore. After an hour of running around the commercial district, looking in every store she was starting to get frustrated.

"Someone just said Kakashi's name," Torabi spoke with a voice full of certainty.

"Where?" Shirane asked him, her trust in his ears beyond certain.

"That bar stall," he told her, pointing his paw.

Shirane ran up and held him up to the side of the wall as if he were an empty glass.

"Please, tell me what they are saying," she asked him in a hurry.

Torabi nodded and began to transmit immediately, whispering to her the conversation that was going on inside.

"... the hospital every single day, you'd swear he lives there!"

"Didn't you know? He's visiting someone. Apparently someone who was close to him. Why are you talking about this any way? It's depressing. I came here for a pint, not Kakashi's sob story."

"Sorry, I just saw him going back there not so long ago. I just thought it was weird..."

Shirane could hardly contain her glee and hugged Torabi close to her chest.

"You are brilliant, you know that?" She told him.

"Praise me more, mistress," Torabi purred happily.

"No," Shirane replied in a flat, monotone voice.

She stood, turned and ran as quick as she was able. They had, perhaps, another hour before the sun went down and Kakashi might still try to escape.

"You wait out here, Torabi. I want to be around as fast as I can. Keep an eye out; if Kakashi comes out alone, you follow him. If we come out together, you go to Naruto and Sasuke and tell them to meet me on the hill. Okay?" She asked him, placing him beside the doors of the hospital.

"I'll do my best, Shirane," Torabi spoke and sat in place in a self-important manner.

Shirane knew she could trust Torabi to do his job right. All she had to do was locate Kakashi.

She had first thought to avoid the receptionist but then an idea popped into her head and she walked straight up to the desk.

"Can I help you?" The bored young receptionist asked as she looked at her nails.

"I'm looking for Kakashi Hatake. The Hokage wants to see him," Shirane invented.

"Fine, I'll just call him over the P.A," the receptionist spoke, and reached for a large and clunky microphone.

"No!" Shirane let out, and the receptionist gave her a funny look. "If he goes back to the Hokage on his own, they might think I didn't do the job and then I won't be paid."

Shirane was not the best actor in the world, but the expression she gave now of an embarrassed little girl fearing for her job struck a chord with the receptionist.

"He's in room 746 on the third floor," she told Shirane quietly.

Shirane gave her a mouthed 'thank you' and walked off towards the third floor with a power walk. Even with everything that was at stake she did not want to run in a hospital.

She was rushing so much that she very nearly missed the room entirely.

Inside was Kakashi.

On the hospital bed lay a woman. She was slim and tall with dark brown hair that had been cut, not professionally but with care. She had a very plain face, no blemishes but no beautifying definition to it either. There was a blue, rectangular tattoo printed across each of her cheeks.

She was hooked up to all kinds of scary machines that must monitor her condition and make sure that she got the sustenance she needed. A Leaf headband lay atop the heart monitor. It looked as though it hadn't been touched in a very long time.

"When I saw you three," Kakashi spoke as Shirane stepped into the room. "I nearly ran away on the spot. It was like looking at my own team all over again. I don't want to do this again."

Shirane looked around the room, she did not know what to say.

"You have picked nice flowers. My mother used to like Lilacs too," she told him, trying desperately to change the subject.

Kakashi fell silent. He barely seemed aware that Shirane was in the room. However when she opened her mouth, he cut across her with his own words.

"Her name is Rin Nohara. She was my teammate and she was there for me through everything. But during the war, she was hit by a lightning technique and I was too slow to save her. She fell into a coma. She's been in a coma for over a decade," he told Shirane.

Kakashi was in deepest darkness. He had lost hope.

Hope.

Could Shirane give him that?

"We will help you. Me, Naruto, I will even convince Sasuke somehow. You are going to train us, right? Then in return, we will help you," Shirane spoke and reached out her hand with a voice full of conviction.

"What can you do?" Kakashi asked, his eyes on the hand of a twelve year old girl.

"I do not yet know," she admitted. "But there is a solution in this world, and we are going to find it, together."

Kakashi faltered, naught but uncertainty in his face.

"What if I fail again?" He spoke, his inner fears coming out in a hushed whisper.

"I will not let you," Shirane told him and stared up into his eyes. "You train us and we will motivate you to train hard as well."

Kakashi looked up at the ceiling and breathed in, then out again. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its usual tone and volume.

"You've found me, let's head back," he told her and picked his book off of the chair. He gave Rin one more glance before he walked out with Shirane and closed the door.

"Do you promise?" He asked her quietly.

"On my soul, the sun, and the stars," she replied.

And he found that he believed her.

****

/~X~\

****

"I am back," Shirane announced as she approached her teammates with Kakashi in tow.

The moment Sasuke saw her, he thrust Torabi into her arms as if he were handing her a bomb.

"What did you do?" She asked Torabi, however it was Sasuke who answered.

"I'm just not good with animals. I always feel like I'm holding them wrong," he explained.

"You're all back," Sarutobi spoke with a clap of his hands. "And just in time too. Kakashi, will you do the honours?"

Something had changed in Kakashi's demeanour. He stood tall, his hands held behind his back and when he spoke it was clear and deep.

"You all did well to get past Sarutobi and you worked together to find a solution to the challenges presented to you. For these reasons, among others, I am happy to announce that Sarutobi and I will be your Sensei." Kakashi told them.

"Congratulations, Team Seven," both Kakashi and Sarutobi said together.

****

/~X~\ **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes;  
> I went on a well-being course. All it did was make me tired, but hey I got £20 out of it.  
> This is my thing, I hope you like it. If there’s any suggestions you’d like to make or anything you like or dislike, please tell me.
> 
> Now that Team Seven is together, how will they fair? What trials will they face together? With Sarutobi, the indomitable Ninja on their side, how will they be trained to face the enemies that lurk in all directions?  
> All this and more, next time on Fire and Lightning


	5. Monkey and Hound

Chapter 5 - Monkey and Hound

Sasuke was angry and frustrated.

Why did they have to pry? Why couldn't they leave him alone? He didn't want friends. He didn't need help. He certainly didn't want a girl in his life.

Everything today had taken him out of his comfort zone. It was as if he had been specifically targeted by the Gods and shown every way that he was inadequate. It was as if the universe was singling him out, sending people to test him and try him.

Naruto who pushed on and on and on, regardless of what was in his way. Who had caught Kakashi with that stupid prank and who had felled the seemingly indomitable Sarutobi with that perverted technique.

Shirane's seals -- that might as well be runic magic as far as he knew -- proved that there were areas of Ninja technique that he knew far too little about. Shirane herself, who pushed and questioned and bothered. Who had faced off against the Chuunin Mizuki and come out on top.

Sarutobi, old and grey and reliant on a cane, who had thrown them all back so quickly that Sasuke had barely seen him move. Who was so genuinely kind and nice and curious, and yet so strong.

Kakashi who, right until the last moment, seem not to care about them at all. Shirane had found him on top of everything else. It seemed that she had been given all of the luck that he had not.

Shirane's tiger as well. It had demanded to be picked up,  _ demanded _ ! It was a tiger cub for goodness sake. How long had it been since Sasuke had held, no, even touched something so... alive? He had felt its heartbeat, felt the warmth of its fur and skin beneath his fingers, felt the gentle purr that ran constantly through its body. He hadn't been able to give it back to Shirane fast enough.

The worst, the very worst thing was that he was beginning to like being around them.

Naruto and Shirane amused him and intrigued him. They had something that he didn't, they could make light of almost any situation. Sarutobi seemed to actually care about all of them.

Kakashi as well. The man was so calm and collected, reading that book of his wherever he went. Sasuke could see his strength in every movement he made, the utter care and precision. Even with just one eye, Kakashi could walk down the street, his nose in a book and not walk into anything or anyone.

Spirits help him, he had even sat with them all long after the photographer had gone and listened to their chatter. He had joined in and bantered with them.

He didn't need any friends!

He didn't want to feel alone anymore...

He punched his pillow and dragged the sheets tighter around himself. 

Why did his house feel so cold and empty and dark?

****

/~X~\

****

Naruto had watched Sasuke leave, and Shirane soon after. He had been about to follow after them when his name was called out.

"Naruto, may I speak with you?" Sarutobi asked, waving him over.

Naruto cringed. Was this about what he'd said earlier? Hadn't Sarutobi punished him enough?

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked him with a gentle smile.

Naruto didn't know what to think. Shirane, Iruka, and the Hokage were the only people who were nice to him. Sarutobi's tone, of concern over his well-being, was one he had not heard before.

"I feel amazing!" Naruto said as he gave Sarutobi one of his signature mile-wide grins.

"That's very good, Naruto. I saw that you were using the shadow clone technique earlier," Sarutobi commented.

"Yep! I can make a whole ton of clones and they're all as strong as I am," Naruto bragged and put his hands on his hips.

"Well, I think you have the makings of a very skillful Ninja," Sarutobi told him with an encouraging smile. "Especially if you can work out the secret of that technique."

"Secret? There's more to it?" Naruto questioned.

Sarutobi tapped his nose in a conspiratorial manner as he spoke. "It's best if you work it out for yourself. Come and tell me when you think you've got it."

"Aw, that's no fair," Naruto replied. He hung his head and flopped slightly.

"Bread is much sweeter when you bake it yourself," Sarutobi told him and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Naruto watched the old man walk away before rubbing the shoulder where he'd been patted.

Today had been good.

Maybe tomorrow would be even better.

****

/~X~\

****

Shirane and Torabi walked home together as the lights came on along the street.

Shirane had quite exhausted herself. She never usually spoke so much but when she was around Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten, she just seemed to open up.

As she walked towards her home, she noticed another face walking towards the entrance of the Leaf.

"Yoichi!" Shirane called out as she ran up to him.

"Hello, Shirane wasn't it?" Yoichi said in greeting as he turned around.

"Yes, and this is Torabi," she told him as Torabi waved a paw.

"Did you end up making some friends?" he asked her and ruffled her hair.

"Yes, I did. I made a whole bunch! I'm a Genin as well," she told him with a happy little smile.

"That's very good. I'm happy for you," he replied as he shifted the travel bag that rested on his shoulder.

"I just... I want to know. How come you did not want to be my friend, Yoichi?" Shirane asked him and looked up at him with her large round eyes.

"I'm a traveler, Shirane. I was only in the Leaf for a short while. I didn't want to upset you, you know? If I'd said I'd be your friend and then disappeared, then that would have been horrible of me, wouldn't it? Besides, I'm sixteen and that means I'm a man. Men aren't allowed to make friends with little girls or else people think they're going to do bad things," Yoichi explained to her.

Shirane nodded in understanding. It was really a shame, though. Yoichi seemed like a nice person.

"Tell you what, next time I'm in the Leaf, I'll come and see you first thing," he promised her.

"Okay," Shirane replied.

Yoichi fetched another apple from under his cloak and gave it to her.

"Be good, okay?" he Yoichi told her before he turned and left the Leaf with a hearty wave goodbye.

"When did you meet that guy?" Torabi yawned.

"When you were napping in the Hokage's hat," she told him as she gave him a quick accusatory glance.

Torabi felt a shiver run through his entire body and fell silent for the rest of the trip home.

"We are back," she called into the house as she kicked her shoes at the door.

As she walked into the living room, she noticed her brother at his workshop as Torami padded up to her and prowled around her.

Shirane and Torami had a game. The two of them would play-fight and if Shirane could pin Torami then she could stroke and pet her however she liked. However, if Torami could pin her then Shirane would receive a tiger bath.

Torami was a grown tiger and was as tall as Shirane -- though Shirane was not exactly tall herself.

Torami pounced at Shirane. She was strong and lithe, fast and powerful. For Shirane, she always held back. At first, Shirane had complained, but she knew better now. There was a deep power in Torami's legs, claws that could shred armour in an instant could be brought out in a second. If Shirane had not swiftly turned out of the way then this pounce alone would have been enough to knock her over.

Instead of throwing herself like she was capable, Torami would bat at her with the pads of her paws and would encourage Shirane to fight back with all of her strength.

The two of them scuffled to and fro until Shirane once again lay beneath Torami, on the receiving end of a sandpaper tongue.

"Kittens all to bed," Gekido called to them from his desk.

This was Gekido's game. He was always busy, working on something or other, so when he called them all 'Kittens' and gave them an order, they had to do it as fast as they could.

"Are you coming to bed as well, big brother?" Shirane asked as she poked her head back into the room.

"I'll go to bed soon, Shira, I'd just like to finish what I'm working on first," Gekido told her, not looking up from his desk.

"You best," Shirane told him with her hands placed firmly on her hips. With him told, she flew upstairs to bed.

Gekido let out a sigh. Finish? He had barely even started. He looked at the arrow in front of him, turned it over and over between his fingers as he tried to figure out a way to make it work.

What he really wanted to do was to imbibe the arrow with elemental Chakra. How cool would it be to rain down bolts of lightning at his foes? He had even designed the seals and was certain that they would work.

The problem was space.

How could he fit such an intricate seal onto the shaft of an arrow? It just wouldn't fit.

Right then, an idea struck him. What if he were to draw the seal onto his bow? If he drew the complex seal onto the wood of the bow then simply drew a seal to hold that Chakra on the shaft of his arrows.

Gekido's mouth sprung open in a wide grin as he pulled down one of the prototype bows that were hanging from the wall.

This might just work.

Sorry Shirane, he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

****

/~X~\

****

"Don't tell me they're late again," Naruto moaned, his hands shoved firmly in his pockets.

"It's been twenty minutes since we got here," Sasuke spoke with a blank tone. It was hard to tell if he was trying to stop Naruto complaining or if he was complaining himself.

"I'm sure they will be here-"

However at that moment all three of them fell quiet. As one, they had felt a shiver run down their spines, the primal feeling that ran through all when danger was near.

No signal was needed, no words needed to be passed between them. They stood back to back, keeping their eyes on their surroundings.

Unfortunately for them, there were two places that they could not watch. Up above them, but also directly below them.

Shirane let out an unseemly scream as the earth beneath her opened up and she was pulled down into the ground.

Kakashi jumped out of the ground as Naruto and Sasuke turned, their kunai in hand. The air burned with tension. There would be no speaking. Kakashi's intent was clear; they were to fight him with everything they had.

Naruto, as was his wont, jumped at Kakashi with a shout. His kunai clashed against Kakashi's own, the metal singing as they clashed. Sasuke flung shuriken from afar, hoping to catch Kakashi off guard as he fought Naruto.

It was to no avail; Kakashi was at a level so very far above them. If this were a serious fight then they would never stand a chance.

Shirane was trapped. The technique that Kakashi had used on her was designed to hold a person, to clamp their arms and legs and body. She was stuck for the foreseeable future.

Torabi! Where was...

"Prrrr... Stroke... me... Prrrr."

Asleep. Of course he was bloody well asleep.

Naruto had summoned his clones. There had to be hundreds of them and by the looks of things, each of them was solid.

None of that mattered to Kakashi. He fought skillfully, his body moving to a rhythm that none of them could hear, his hands striking at the perfect moment, his back arching to dodge every blow.

It didn't matter how many Narutos there were. Kakashi was in a realm of his own.

Sasuke continued his long-range assault as he looked for an opening. There was little room for him to join the scuffle, even as the number of Narutos decreased.

Shirane had to help as well. Would her Genjutsu reach from this distance? Only one way to tell.

The bells in her hair gave a chime as she shook her head, the only part of her that could move.

For the barest moment, Kakashi seemed to pause, but it was not long enough for Naruto to hit him.

With a fearsome sweep, Kakashi took out the rest of the Naruto clones and sent the real Naruto flying.

Kakashi watched Naruto skim over the grass like a pebble over a lake as he walked as calm as the breeze towards Shirane.

Another of Sasuke's shuriken sliced through the air only to meet with Kakashi's kunai.

Shirane bared her teeth, as Kakashi knelt down to face her. The earth around her had been softening up for a while and if she could just surprise him with a punch then they might be able to gain the upper hand.

Shirane sprang upwards, throwing her fist at Kakashi's nose. Even if she couldn't hit hard, she at least knew where to hit to make it count.

None of that mattered. As easy as breathing, Kakashi caught her fist in his own hand.

"Now Sasuke!" Shirane shouted, confident that Kakashi would be able to do nothing else while he held onto her.

She had miscalculated.

Even as Sasuke made the hand signs for his fireball technique, Kakashi grabbed Shirane's hand and tossed her to the side. As Shirane landed in the lake, Kakashi turned to Sasuke and coated his arms in a thin layer of Chakra.

He blocked a fireball with his arms, the technique bursting as Kakashi quite literally shrugged it off.

Sasuke was breathing heavily while Naruto and Shirane struggled to stand.

"That will do," Sarutobi spoke as he appeared from behind a tree.

"What the hell was that?!" Naruto shouted from the ground. Shirane could not help but agree with him.

"Training, my children," he told them, picking Naruto off the ground.

Shirane managed to get up on her own and looked around for Torabi. Had the fight woken him up?

Then she noticed him, sneaking up to Kakashi, sparks of electricity running over his little body. Had he not heard Sarutobi? The fight was over.

Apparently not, as before Shirane could yell at him to stop -- that the fight was over -- Torabi unleashed his technique and hit Kakashi with the electrical energy that he had been building up.

"Oh dear," Sarutobi spoke as he watched Kakashi fall to the ground smoking and twitching.

"That was rather naughty, don't you think?" He asked Torabi as he picked the kitten up.

"He hurt Shirane," Torabi replied as he crossed his paws petulantly.

"You let your guard down," Sarutobi told Kakashi as he passed the fluffball back to Shirane.

"I noticed," Kakashi spoke, smoke still rising from him where he lay.

"Sir, what was that training in aid of? Kakashi fought at full strength and crushed us. I do not see what there was to be learned from it," Sasuke commented as he moved to stand between Naruto and Shirane.

"In our line of work, our opponents will fight with the intent of crushing us. To this end, you must be prepared to fight. Which, I might add, you did quite admirably. You didn't let up for a single moment and did everything you could. I'm sufficiently impressed," Sarutobi told them with a deep and genuine smile.

"We lost though," Shirane spoke as she held Torabi close to her chest.

"You expected to win? It is true that everyone has a weakness, but Kakashi is one of the Leaf's most elite Jounin. You did incredibly well against him, all things considering," Sarutobi replied.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in distaste. He must be feeling much the same. None of them appreciated being beaten up just for a point to be made. Shirane found herself markedly less sorry that Kakashi had been electrocuted.

With three sets of bemused eyes on him, Sarutobi grimaced.

"Well, that's in the past. For now, I'd like you all to work on some D ranked missions," Sarutobi said as he pulled a scroll out of his pocket.

"Missions?!" Naruto exclaimed all of his energy flooding back in an instant. "What are we going to do? Are we going to save a princess? Or maybe retrieve a super special object from a cave?"

Shirane and Sasuke shared a look. Both of them had heard of the terror that was D rank missions. Both of them knew what to expect.

"'Mr. Durako of Tobirama Row humbly requests a Genin team to weed his garden, as his back is ailing him and he fears for his rhododendrons,'" Sarutobi read out from the scroll.

"Is... is that all? The way my brother made it sound, I thought we were going to be treated like slaves," Shirane asked, a note of surprise in her voice. Sasuke nodded in concurrence.

Naruto had gone as white as a sheet and could do nothing but mouth 'weeding?' over and over again.

Kakashi had stood up and brushed himself off.

"You do get paid for your time. Honestly, I think you get paid a bit too much for what you're doing but who am I to complain?" He said with a shrug.

"W-wait! But, I thought missions were supposed to be all like... Search and destroy and... and saving princesses! Stuff like that!" Naruto let out as he looked between his two Sensei.

"It's like this, Naruto. There are jobs that need doing that sometimes people can't do for themselves. We Genin are trained so that we're strong and fast, moreso than the average citizen in any case. Since they know that, we are paid to get menial jobs done quickly," Shirane explained.

"Besides, there's no training quite like gardening," Sarutobi explained, a spark in his eye.

Naruto's shoulders slouched as he resigned himself to his fate.

****

/~X~\

****

By the end of the day, Naruto understood what Sarutobi had meant.

His arms and legs ached and his chest felt tight. It was different, but it was a form of training.

Shirane and Sasuke looked pretty out of it as well. All of them were covered in paint and mud and cuts from thorns.

Their two Sensei had left them to it, given them several D rank missions and told them to complete them by the end of the day.

It had taken them until sunset, but they had finished.

It had mostly been quite old people, or else people who could do little on their own. Naruto felt bad for complaining. There were people out there who relied on the D rank missions.

Of course, he had also received the same glances. Those hate filled looks that filled him with anger and determination. The hadn't said anything, they never did, but he noticed that although Shirane and Sasuke had been given tonnes of praise, he had been given little.

He didn't care.

He was Uzumaki Naruto, the man who would become Hokage. Everything he did, he did with all of his energy.

They wouldn't get him down.

He would push on and they could all watch him become their Hokage.

Believe it.

"Finally, I have money of my own," Shirane chuckled as her tiger hung over her shoulder like some sort of purring scarf, napping as always. "We should all go out and get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," Sasuke spoke, only to be betrayed by his growling stomach.

"I know a place," Naruto said brightly. "Follow me!"

They all walked as one, Naruto leading the way. Even Sasuke came along with them, albeit reluctantly.

He always ended up back here. Ichiraku's ramen stand was the best -- and cheapest -- place for ramen in the whole of the Hidden Leaf.

"Ramen?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Hey! Don't diss ramen. Besides, Ichiraku's is the best there is. You've got to try it," Naruto spoke as he rushed under the cloth flaps, rubbing his hands together.

They all sat together at the bar, the menu before them.

"We've worked hard today, I think we've earned a little bit of junk," Shirane spoke as she picked over the menu.

"I suppose," Sasuke replied, unconvinced.

At the other end of the bar sat Iruka, their old instructor.

"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto called to him.

"Hello," Iruka replied, waving to them.

"I didn't know that you liked ramen sir," Shirane spoke, her voice full of curiosity.

"What can I say? Teachers deserve treats too sometimes," Iruka replied. His attention was pulled away from them by the pretty young waitress, a blush dusting his cheeks.

Naruto looked between Iruka, Ayame and Shirane who was hiding a knowing smile behind her hand in confusion.

"Hello Naruto, you brought some friends?" Ayame asked and gave Naruto a smile.

"These are my teammates," Naruto smiled. "Sasuke and Shirane."

"It's nice to meet you. What would you like?" Ayame asked them with a smile.

The three of them sat there in the cool evening air, hot delicious ramen filling them up slowly as they spoke about everything and nothing.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. He was warm, he wasn't alone and he was well on his way to achieving his dream.

He looked at Shirane who seemed to be having just a good time as he was, and then to Sasuke. The one he thought of as a rival. Sasuke had complimented his sexy technique. Well, as close to a compliment as he would ever receive from Sasuke.

He was smiling more these days. They both were.

Then Sasuke pushed his bowl away.

"Shirane, you said you wanted to be my friend?" Sasuke asked her.

When had Shirane said that? Oh, not her too. Naruto couldn't bear to listen to more fawning over Sasuke. It had been bad enough at the academy.

"I did," Shirane replied with a polite smile.

"Why?" Sasuke asked her, voicing Naruto's thoughts.

"Because I felt lonely. I was walking forward towards my goal, blocking out everything along the way. I told you before, I wanted someone to talk with. Someone to help and to give me help in return. I made friends with Naruto and I wanted to make friends with you because I can talk with the both of you," She explained, her voice full of thoughtfulness as she turned her smile on Naruto.

"Towards your goal... Blocking out everything along the way..." Sasuke repeated, looking off into space.

Naruto couldn't follow the conversation at all and decided that it wasn't worth it. He turned back to his bowl and continued eating as the two spoke.

"Then, I accept. On one condition. When the time comes, I will brook no interference, got it?" Sasuke told both Shirane and Naruto.

"Is that all? Very well then, we are officially all friends," Shirane grinned.

"Me too!" Naruto exclaimed through a mouthful of noodles.

They fell back into chatter.

But now Sasuke was smiling for real.

****

/~X~\

****

The week passed quickly as the three Genin worked hard.

They painted fences, dug up weeds, dusted the library, and helped carry merchandise. There was never a moment of awkward silence between them all. They moved with purpose and as one to get their jobs done.

"They're doing very well, Kakashi," the Hokage spoke as he watched the three Genin through his crystal ball.

"I guess they are. Do you really think they're ready for a C ranked mission though? The first one is always the most dangerous," Kakashi replied.

The Hokage stroked his chin gently and watched as Naruto missed catching a cat by the very tips of his fingers.

"We'll see. But they'll ask for one soon," the Hokage spoke with a smile. "And when they do, I won't say no."

****

/~X~\ ****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s notes;  
> Real sorry for the short one this week. Mostly set up but as usual, everything is important.
> 
> Got a couple of pointers that Shirane’s getting a lot of what she wants. Don’t worry, this is the Ninja world. Things are going to get brutal for her pretty soon.
> 
> The Genin have begun their training under their mentors. With their skills honed in body, spirit, and mind, can they face what is to come?
> 
> A bloody cloud has fallen over the wave.
> 
> A bridge half finished, guarded by a powerful warrior so that none may pass.
> 
> A jealous, greedy man standing in the shadows at the head of it all.
> 
> All this and more, next time on Fire and Lightning.


End file.
